


Mother's Song

by Seltap



Category: Naruto
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-02-11
Updated: 2018-05-19
Packaged: 2018-05-19 18:52:08
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 53
Words: 311,996
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5977471
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Seltap/pseuds/Seltap
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sakura finds herself thrown back into the past and appointed as a young Gaara's caretaker. At such a fragile time in the boy's life, will Sakura's devotion to Gaara alter his future into a much happier one, or has a painful fate been set for him since his birth.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beta'd by [**Errihu**](https://archiveofourown.org/users/errihu/pseuds/errihu).

" _What is it called?_ "

" _Mother's song."_

* * *

With each tired, dragging step, Sakura swore the barren sand around her only expanded with time.

"Keep going."

Words of encouragement. The young woman spoke only to herself, her breath heavy from the heat surrounding her. The quick pace she kept with this past day travel also made her lungs clamor for a relaxed breath. Yet, Sakura forced herself to pick up her speed. There was no reason for this, perhaps another self-satisfying achievement she could add onto her long list. She once remembered Lee mentioning he could easily make this few day's trip within a day. She smirked at the idea of matching his determination and speed.

It had been months since she was requested for a mission like this, and years since her last travel to Suna. It still baffled her why the Hokage, her past teacher, bid her a simple task such as this. Her field of knowledge, and skill, belonged in hospitals, in battlefields. She belonged in places where wounds were inevitable, but death was preventable. There was no reason to send a medical ninja for a transporting mission.

" _This is an S-rank mission._ "

Sakura thought back on Kakashi's words. At the time, she argued that this operation was not for her.

" _Surely someone else,_ " she tried to reason, to bring him back to his senses.

" _This document was requested by the Kazekage himself. I need someone I can trust to deliver this to him._ "

Sakura remembered staring at the scroll that was handed off carefully to her. She scrutinized the rolled up parchment for some time before turning back to her aging instructor.

" _Remember Sakura, Kazekage-sama's hands only. No one else. That is what he requested._ "

Sakura had fidgeted with the scroll in her hands lightly, curious of its contents. Why was this tiny document deemed so important? Mission accomplish only if in the hands of Gaara?

" _What's in it?_ " she had boldly asked.

Kakashi's gaze was passive when the young woman questioned him of this. It was as if he was letting her figure out, on her own, how informal that inquiry from her to him was. However, her stare never wavered, and in time, he felt his patience fall.

" _Something Konoha has that Suna would like to borrow for the time. Village matters._ " He told her before marching back to his desk. " _Something that doesn't involve you in any way._ "

" _Yet, it's me you need to deliver it._ "

" _I wouldn't trust anyone else but you, or Naruto, for this._ "

" _Why?_ "

Kakashi had taken a moment to cross his hands over his face, his expression stern on Sakura.

" _I couldn't even begin to explain to you how urgent Kazekage-sama's request for that scroll was._ "

Again, Sakura stared at the paper curiously. Her attention was only drawn back to the Hokage when his deep, serious tone shook her body.

" _Sakura,_ " he had spoken, " _do not let me down. This could possibly jeopardize our strong alliance with Suna. You got that? Failure is not an option._ "

Sakura had gawked lightly at Kakashi's grave manner of speaking. Where there was no pressure before, the rosette suddenly felt a little overwhelmed.

" _I'm counting on you, Sakura._ "

"Yes, Sensei!"

Sakura gasped at her speech, but her swiftness did not waver. The embedded memories of her youthful days, spent training with Kakashi and her teammates, suddenly found their way to the front of her mind.

"Yes Sensei?" she repeated, flabbergasted at herself. "Idiot. Those days are long gone."

Sakura reprimanded her mind for picking up on old habits. She also blamed the sweltering heat for making her suddenly stupid.

She was Haruno Sakura, top medical ninja of her village. She was the apprentice of Lady Tsunade, the fifth Hokage. A proud member of team seven, who's teammates consisted of the great war hero Naruto, the body host of Kurama the Kyubi, and child of the late fourth Hokage, Namikaze Minato. The other member of team seven was the last survivor of the famous Uchiha clan. Strong, elite...

"Sasuke-kun."

Sakura could feel her spirits falling at the thought of her first, and only, love. Every day that she could not physically see Sasuke felt longer than forever for her. The second he returned to Konoha, to team seven, to her; he turned around and bid them farewell with the promise of returning. Years later, she was still waiting for the young man to fulfill that expectation.

' _Damn him,_ ' Sakura thought bitterly, feeling her eyes burning. ' _Damn him for making me still care_.'

She at first didn't mind the wait, she was in bliss knowing he was somewhere out in the world without dark hate clouding his vision. But when months turned to years, she began to grow resentful towards the Uchiha, wondering why he took so long to return to her. Her anger in time turned into unnecessary guilt. Was she to blame for his quick departure? Did he run away from her, or found her annoying still? She had remained loyal to him, never knowing any other kind of love or looking at any other man for his sake. She wondered when he would realize this and come back to her. At the same time, a certain distaste for him began to grow deep within the rosette. Would she ever be good enough, she questioned?

Was the purpose of her love life only to fantasize about the "what ifs" instead of experiencing what others were already privileged to encounter? Hell, even Naruto was beginning a romance with Hinata, and while she was overjoyed at the two's new love, the envy was evident even in her ever denying mind. When would it be her turn? She blamed Sasuke for all of this, but also held herself accountable for holding onto a love she could have given another.

"Ah!" Sakura suddenly cried when she felt herself trip.

She quickly corrected herself before again tangling her feet, this time she was not able to pull herself back up in time and her speed caused her to roll violently across the sand.

"Damn it!" Sakura cursed, pushing herself up against the hot grains when she came to a stop.

It was only when she was settled on her knees, her breaths coming out long and heavy, did Sakura realize tears were staining her cheeks.

"Stupid," she mocked herself, hurriedly wiping away the drops from her eyes. "Don't cry for that bastard."

For the past months, Sakura had been doing her best to stop basing her happiness off of a man. A man who probably didn't think of her day and night like she did him. She had wanted to become dependent of nobody but herself. She built herself stronger every day, expecting to never rely on anyone for her welfare. She wanted to see herself as a strong, independent woman. It was a good thing, she concluded, that Sasuke would not be returning anytime soon, for these fresh tears just drove home how much she needed to work on herself still.

Though she could feel many scratches and new aches from her tumble, Sakura reached behind her and rummaged her hand through her pack. She eyed the scroll carefully the second she pulled it out, checking for any type of damage. As soon as she concluded that the parchment was as intact as it was leaving Kakashi's office, she turned her gaze back to the setting sun behind her. She searched for a village in this hot, lifeless wasteland, hoping her feet had carried her as quickly as Lee bragged his could.

While there was no building to be seen, Sakura could make out a lone, tall palm tree in the distance. Where there was vegetation, she knew there would be water. She could at least freshen up, and refill her canteen before continuing her journey she decided. The rosette jogged lightly on top of the golden, sparkling sand, and realized soon that she may need to use her chakra to heal a sprained wrist.

"Of course," Sakura huffed with intolerance.

She reprimanded herself once more. Kakashi emphasized to her that failure was no option here, yet here she was rolling down sandy dunes. She knew better than to let her mind wander and become distracted. Her senses had to be on edge for any ambush or attack.

' _It's because you're pushing yourself to Suna more quickly._ '

Sakura grimaced at her thinking. She couldn't help but ask why that itself was a problem. There was nothing wrong with wanting to get a mission accomplished as soon as possible.

' _That's not why you run._ '

Her mind was battling with her again. The truths she did not want to face were beginning to come forward. She decided that next time she would refuse a solitary mission, for she needed a companion to keep her psyche off of these buried thoughts.

' _You run because of Sasuke-_ _kun_ _. Whether it's to him, or away, you ru_ _n_ _. You chase after the hope of catching up to him, to see him again. Yet, you would bound the other way from the_ _fear of_ _rejection he may possibly have in store for you._ '

"Shut up!" Sakura cried into the silent air, gripping her head tight and trying to bury that voice deep into the back of her mind.

' _The damage is already done. He has you on the run._ '

Sakura narrowed her eyes the minute her empty thinking returned. She was a proud ninja of Konoha. These internal struggles did not belong during an important mission, she reminded herself. Yes, she admitted she would love nothing more than to run into the raven-haired man, but what were the chances of him actually being in this desert?

The sun had set by the time Sakura reached the tilted tree, and like she thought, a small pool of water resided next to it. The moon, and twinkling stars reflected on the clear water's surface. Despite the beautiful image, she dipped her hand into the cool water, the moon and stars disappearing behind the ripples. The rosette could feel her hot body now cooling with the night air, and from the chilly, fresh drink she brought to her lips. She let a heavy sigh escape her mouth before dunking to refill her canteen.

"I can't stay her for long." She reminded herself. "Fresh water attracts."

As much as Sakura wanted to pull out a blanket and call it a night, she found she could get no rest until she stepped foot inside the Kazekage's office. As she had said before, an ambush of any kind was possible. Water attracted possible predators, though, she wondered what type of creatures dwell in the hot desert. She took a moment to stare down at her reflection, disgusted at her sunburnt cheeks, and at the way dust caked onto her face. She brushed some of her pink strands off of her sweaty, sticky forehead, and noted how clammy her hair felt as well.

 _'If Sasuke-kun was actually here in Suna, then I wouldn't want him seeing me like this._ '

Sakura blinked again at her reflection with that thought. Her wandering mind was again traveling back to him, so instead, she lingered on the idea of Suna, of its people, and their leader.

' _I don't think Gaara would allow Sasuke-kun into the village._ '

She didn't think either of them to hold grudges against the other, but it seemed nothing but fighting happened when putting those two into a room together. She had witness the damage Sasuke did to Gaara during their Chunin Selection Exams, and had even heard of them battling at Gokage Kaiden. It surprised her slightly that the events that unfolded after that fight made her forget completely about it. She had disregarded to ask for any more detail, and wondered who it was that had the upper hand in that battle. Perhaps they were equally strong, for they both survived the other. Still, who knew what distaste they each may hold for the other.

Shaking her head, Sakura pushed those thoughts away and instead turned to her backpack behind her. She decided to wash up her hair, and face, some before coming to face the great Sand Lord himself. Surely he was aware no one came to him beautiful after a few days in his sweltering desert. Still, she thought it best to be as presentable as she could. She represented her people, her Hokage, and did not want to be sneered at by Gaara.

With heavy shoulders, Sakura sank to her knees before burying her Konoha headband into her pack. She dug for the soap bar she brought along before bringing her eyes up to the small tree in front of her. It was only then that she noticed the woody plant had been slightly carved into.

"Hm..." she hummed to herself, bringing herself to her feet to study the small engraving closer.

Her fingers brushed lightly against the foreign marking. It was a symbol unrecognized, and unreadable, for her. Yet, she knew the sign was placed there purposely. Sakura licked her dry lips while studying it more, curious of its meaning.

' _Not a good idea,_ ' her mind reminded her. ' _Someone has been here, and may return at any moment. Friend or foe_.'

Sakura silently agreed with herself. She needed to freshen up now and return to the important task at hand. As she turned from her spot, she kept her head back, still perusing the little engraving in the bark. It slipped her mind that her pack was in front of her until her foot collided with the old bag.

"Shit," she hissed as her personals spilled out in front of her.

She frowned slightly before dropping to her knees to pick up her belongings. However, when she noticed a certain scroll rolling rapidly down the small dune and towards the bed of water, Sakura shot straight back up.

"No, no, no!" she cried before running down the sandy hill after it.

' _Failure is not an option._ '

Kakashi's words rang in her ears as she raced for the parchment, it's direction straight towards the small pond.

"No!" she shouted when a familiar _plop_ sang into the night air.

Her hand shot straight forward, quick like a viper, the second the scroll hit the water. It had only been a second and despite it somewhat wet, perhaps the message inside was still salvageable.

' _Please,_ ' Sakura begged in her mind. ' _Don't let me mess this one up._ '

With her hands around the scroll, Sakura tried to pick it back up and towards her. Tried. She couldn't figure out why, perhaps it had soaked up so much water, but the scroll was suddenly heavy like a weight, and while she pulled with all her might; the rolled up document seemed to sink instead. Still, while she refused to let go, she could feel herself being pulled into the water along with it.

"What the hell?!" she cried out.

This didn't make sense to her. She carried the small parchment with her all day in her bag, but now struggled using her inhuman strength just to lift the tiny scroll. It was incomprehensible, and before she could dwell on the why and how, a bright light erupted where the scroll had sank.

Now Sakura was in her ninja mode. Something inside her mind was warning her she was in danger, and to let go of the tiny scroll. As the bright light grew, the rosette forced her head to the side. The flash blinding her.

' _Failure is not an option._ '

Kakashi's voice kept playing in her mind.

' _This could possibly jeopardize our strong alliance with Suna._ '

Though the scroll was already submerged, her grip on it only tightened. She still tried with all her power to pull it back out of the water, but felt her heart sinking while the weight of the scroll began to pull her into the pool with it.

"No..." she whined through her teeth. "Please. I can't mess this up!"

Despite the obvious damage to the scroll, Sakura refused to let go; even when the heavy item began to pull her whole body into the small lake. When she felt the water hit her chin, Sakura forced an eye open, to peek at the scene around her. Yet, the white light only grew stronger, and she forced her gaze shut. She tried one last time, with every ounce of her strength, to pull the crucial scroll back out of the water. Unfortunately, that too was in vain, and when Sakura felt herself having to spit out water from her mouth, she made the decision every proud ninja dreaded.

Mission failed.

Tilting her head above her, Sakura drew in a heavy breath before releasing the scroll from her hold. Despite the repercussions that would soon follow, she wasn't willing to drown for a paper that was surely already deteriorating from the moisture. Her hands quickly let go of the sinking item, and she tilted her head upwards to shoo away the water that was trying to enter her mouth and nose. She had tried to turn away from the light, to swim back to the sand. Tried. She was thrown off again when, despite the scroll out of her hold, her body did not comply with her mind. She, too, was sinking like a stone.

' _What the hell is happening?!_ ' she screamed mentally before feeling her whole head submerge under water.

She tried to force an eye open, but again the bright light in the water blinded her. She held her breath while her body sank lower and lower, and she couldn't help but wonder.

' _Is this the end?_ '

Under the water, she let out a gasp when the bright light shook around her. It was like an explosion, and her vision changed from the dark waters, to just piercing, white light. Despite the change in her scenery, she still felt as though her lungs were filling with water, and her body grew heavy like a boulder. She screamed at her mind to swim, to take her back to land above her, but she was unable to move.

' _Is this what it's like to drown?_ ' she thought tiredly to herself.

She thought the ordeal of drowning to be a painful one. Yet, this sinking feeling wasn't half as scary as she always imagined. Still, that didn't mean she was prepared to face death yet. She peeked an eye open again, and was shocked at what was happening around her. There was no blinding light, but there was also no water. There was absolutely nothing. She found herself staring face first into an empty void of white.

' _What is this?_ '

She opened her mouth to cry out, but found her lungs still struggling for a breath. She tried to move, but the only motion her mind would let her were slow blinks.

' _Genjutsu?_ ' she thought to herself, wondering how skilled someone would have to be to make her fall for it.

She was immune to most effects of the technique, but the area was so bewildering, so unrecognizable, that she had to think of the most logic explanation for this empty plain. She felt like she was hanging in mid-air, dangling by string in this empty null. It was maddening. When would this end? Her heart was racing as minutes ticked by. Her lungs too, screamed in agony. In time, she wished for anything to escape this empty world. Even if it meant death.

' _Someone,_ ' she tried to scream. ' _Anyone! Help me!_ '

That's when she heard it. A faint noise, and she focused all she could onto that one sound.

' _Take me there!_ ' she begged her mind. ' _To that noise._ '

Her heart began to pick up more when the noise became louder. It didn't feel like her body had moved an inch, yet, whatever was making that small wail was becoming more and more apparent with time. Soon enough, Sakura was easily able to recognize the soft sobbing, and sad whimpers, as someone crying.

' _Who?_ ' she wondered. ' _Who is it? Can you help me?_ '

Sakura mentally sneered when she realized her voice was nothing, and whoever was shedding tears near her would not hear her desperate plea.

' _Please, help me,_ ' she invoked to no one. ' _Bring them to me. I can't breathe._ '

Sakura's words were desperate. All she knew was that the small whimpering voice was her only chance for survival. She wanted to reach out to this crying person for her sake, she was not yet ready to die. However, as her body remained unmoving, she began to wonder why this person was shedding such sad tears.

' _What's the matter?_ ' she wanted to ask. ' _Are you stuck here too?_ _Is that why you're crying?_ '

If that was truly the explanation, then Sakura could see reason. She wondered if her body would let her shed tears for being stuck in this vexing world. Her lungs were still uproarious for air, and she lingered in thought about when death would claim her. It was overdue, she finally decided. She did not want to be here any longer, listening to the soft cries of someone around her and staring at an empty nothing for eternity.

' _Please,_ ' she asked once more. ' _Not here. Anywhere but here._ '

That's when she felt her body twitch slightly. Hope returned in her to this small movement, and before she could focus on it, she felt her back soaring upwards. Despite the nothing around her, she could hear and feel an explosion of water behind her. Her body was still frozen, but it was finally racing upwards. As far as she sank, she moved as if she was rewinding time, passing through the water once more and racing towards the top.

' _What's happening?_ ' she thought, unable to control her movement.

Despite her questioning, though, she was thankful she was no longer in the nothing and instead soaring up through the water. It felt like forever though, and she wondered if she was simply doomed to be racing through this dark, murky water. Was this really any better than the empty void?

" _Do you recall, not long ago, we would walk down the sandy road_ _s_ _?_ "

Sakura blinked slowly at the new voice. It drowned out the soft sobbing around her, yet she could not pinpoint anyone to be down here in this water with her. Even if someone was, how could they speak to her so clearly like this?

" _Innocent. Remember? All we did was care for each other._ "

Sakura strained her ears to hear this voice. His speaking was clear, tone soft, it was foreign to her. Yet, something inside her reminisced. She had heard this voice before, but from where, and who; she could not remember.

" _All around us,_ _sand and wind blew_ _. But you only held on just to let go._ "

Sakura mentally frowned at the odd words, still trying to pinpoint whose deep voice this was.

' _To let go?_ ' she thought. ' _Is he talking to me?_ '

Suddenly, Sakura felt herself slamming hard onto cold, brick floor. The impact had been so hard, that it knocked out whatever little air was still in her lungs. Despite her traumatizing ordeal, she quickly pushed herself up to draw in a long, needed breath. As soon as her body filled with air, it sent itself into a fit of heavy coughs. She struggled with herself, trying to draw in breaths yet trying to calm her shaking body. She worried she was going into some sort of shock.

Her fingers dug into the hard brick under her, trying to reassure herself that she was in control of her body once again and that she had escaped from that wet hell.

' _My back was flying upwards,_ ' she thought, her coughs beginning to settle. ' _How did I end up landing on it?_ '

Sakura swallowed hard when her coughing subsided. A sigh escaped her as she leaned back, pushing her weight into her hand before glancing at the area around her. Her eyes quickly narrowed when she realized the scene around her had changed drastically. Where she had been outside, next to a small oasis, she now found herself inside some sort of deserted, ruined building. A temple she even wondered.

"How did I get here?" She asked no one, rubbing her aching wrist.

The thought of danger presented itself once more. How did she get here? Had someone brought her here? Who's voice had she heard? The small crying too. Was everything before some sort of trick, or had it all been just a nightmare? What had happened at the small oasis and the scroll?

' _The scroll!_ ' Sakura screamed in her mind, wasting no time to reach for her pack.

However, as she reached behind her, her old bag was nowhere in sight. Had it been stolen, or was it left in the last spot she remembered it to be?

"Damn it!" she mumbled, remembering how the scroll had sunk to the bottom of that oasis. "I'll have to report this to the Kazekage."

Sakura frowned heavily at that thought. To be lectured by another village's leader was embarrassing beyond belief, but more importantly, she hoped this failure wouldn't irk the Sand Lord as much as Kakashi proclaimed it would. There was peace in their world, for the time being, and she would hate to be the cause of resurrecting calamity.

A sigh escaped her again before she turned up to the only light source in this dark, dreary room. She could see the sun shining down through a hole above her, and again she wondered where she was. It had been night when she was at the oasis. Had she been out for many hours? She shook the idea off, simply trying to figure a way out.

"I must be underground," she spoke to herself, turning towards the moss covered bricks.

Rising, Sakura was slightly wobbly, but managed to get herself straightened up. She thought long and hard of a way out of this room, for the only tunnel out was blocked by fallen rocks and rubble. She wasn't in any mood to start digging her way out. She also worried that if she punched her way through, that this old ruin would come crashing down on her.

"Of course." she mumbled bitterly when thinking on her lack of options. "My luck."

She only took a step, just one, when a long, heavy, weak breath hit her ears. Sakura's eyes had widened to this, and she quickly spun on her heels. She glanced around the room, knowing that strained noise assured her she was not alone. She had to twirl around the room a few times, for in a dark corner is where she finally spotted a small body. It was petite, a child, and it had curled itself so deep into the black nook that it blended so perfectly in with the dark rubble.

Sakura bit her lip, anxious yet nervous. That noise she had heard awoke her medical side, and a part of her wanted nothing more than to rush over and assess the damage. Her other side, warned her of the danger she had just escaped. As small, and weak as this body seemed, it could be a trap. Size did not matter in the ninja world, everyone was a potential threat, including this child. It could have been the one to put her in such a bizarre place.

However, when she saw the small body's back rise, another struggling breath escaping it, her medical side won. She quickly rushed towards the fallen child, sliding onto her knees the second she approached it. Her eyes scanned the small body, its features, before concluding it was a young boy. He lay curled up, eyes shut.

"Hey," Sakura spoke, patting his cheek to try to see if he would wake. "If you can hear me, open your eyes."

Sakura studied his face, her heart dropping when she saw his eyes flutter lightly, but not open fully. She panicked when she noticed his breathing was irregular, and the wheezing sounds he made had the hairs on the back of her neck stand. He was struggling, that much she could tell, but from what?

"Don't worry," she spoke, hoping her voice was reaching the kid to reassure him. "I'm going to help you."

Sakura reached for his small frame, turning him onto his back so she could assess him better and figure out what type of healing she needed to begin. She just prayed, as she rolled him, that he had no broken bones. The second she straightened him out, another struggle for breath escaped him. The rosette glanced once again at his body. He looked pretty beat up to her. He was missing a shoe, his pants and black shirt had holes in it and looked dirty. There were also small patches of burnt skin on him. His eyes were black, and that scared her and made her wonder if one of his organs were failing him. Again, she wondered what had happened to such a young boy.

While she studied his dark eyes, she now noticed a trail of dried blood painted one side of his face.

"Ah!" she cried, bringing her face closer to examine him "Did you hit your head somewhere?!"

Sakura quickly followed the dried blood up his face to the left corner of his head. There she could see the excessive amount of it.

"There!" she spoke to herself, knowing he had hit himself there.

Sakura did her best to wipe away the dried up blood, for it covered whatever wound this boy suffered. When she realized it was an excessive amount, Sakura spit on her hand, hoping some moisture would brush off the dried crimson. As her ministrations became more aggressive, she could see some fresh blood beginning to seep out from whatever wound he had, she must have been rubbing off some sort of scab.

"What happened to you, kid?" Sakura mumbled before ripping a part of the young boy's shirt.

She used the new cloth to dab at his head wound, trying to soak up the fresh blood as well as take in the odd shape of the somewhat fresh wound.

"I've never seen an injury like this before..."

Sakura patted the spot one more time before she suddenly stilled her hand. She blinked as she stared into the wound. Then again. Then a third time, just to make sure she reading the familiar looking symbol right.

"But that's..." Sakura couldn't bring herself to say it, there was just no way.

Her eyes darted back to black rings around his eyes, they were just as well-known to her as the kanji etched into his head.

"There's no way..."

Her eyes traveled back up, noting how this child had no eyebrows. Finally, when her eyes met the familiar red hair, she felt a hitch in her throat. She was staring at the impossible.

He was a child, but he was the spitting image of someone much older. A past killer, but now fearless leader. A man who hosted a demon inside of him before turning around and leading a war to keep his only friend safe. Someone who had marked himself with the word love before earning that affection by all those around him. A young man, who was best known by his formal title as Kazekage, but who's real name would go down in history as...

"Gaara."


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beta'd by [**Errihu**](https://archiveofourown.org/users/errihu/pseuds/errihu).

Sakura jumped back from her spot and away from the fallen child. This revelation, a young Gaara laid out before her, was just too surreal. She stood there, frozen, jaw hanging, mind racing, heart pounding. She studied the boy again, taking in the same features she knew the Kazekage and this kid to share. She tried to find a flaw, something that would etch logic back into her brain. Reason had to present itself to her before a panic attack did.

' _Gaara's child, perhaps?_ '

Sakura tried to think back on a time when Naruto may have mentioned his friend to be expecting. To an instance when rumors would have spread in her village of Suna welcoming the Kazekage's first child. Yet, she could think of no period of time. She knew little of the Sand Lord, but it wouldn't faze her if the disclosure of him being asexual hit her ears. He just seemed too cold, too distant, and too awkward to find a lover. Still, this kid as his offspring was the closest, dianoetic explanation she could think of. As fresh blood traced down his raccoon eye, a darker question came to her mind.

Who had carved into this young one?

She studied the kanji character once again, her face flushing when she read the word love.

' _Like father, like son,_ ' Sakura thought morbidly.

She cringed at the thought of the sick, twisted person who had done this. It was unwholesome to scar a child like this. Had he been kidnapped, Sakura wondered. Was this child stolen from the great Kazekage and possibly going to be used for ransom? If so, how had he ended up here? Alone and battered? She had many questions now racing in her mind that she simply stood in her spot. The child's asthmatic, struggling breath was what drew her back into reality, and she reached for him.

Sakura knew she was already going to be in deep trouble from Gaara for losing that important scroll. She couldn't even fathom the rage he would hold for her if he were to learn she had an opportunity to save his kin, but instead stood frozen in a stupor.

"Just hang on," Sakura said to the young child. "Try to stay awake. I'm going to pump some chakra into you."

Sweeping her hands in the air, Sakura took a moment to focus her energy to her palms. The familiar, green aura radiated from her fingers before she gently brushed them against the boy's chest. Immediately, to her touch, the child seethed and flinched. She had almost pulled her hands back when she saw his pain ridden look, but reassured herself that this was to help, not hurt.

"Shh," she whispered, trying to calm him. "I'm not trying to hurt you. I promise."

Though his body stilled, Sakura watched him as he continued to struggle to open his eyes. He only managed one eye to part slightly, and meet her gaze before shutting them tight again.

"Just relax," Sakura murmured. "I won't let anything bad happen to you."

Sakura felt reassured when his breathing became normal, and with quiet sound. She was also happy to find no broken bones, or organ damage, in the young boy. He seemed to be only malnourished and dehydrated, which in turn made the rosette wonder how long he had been stranded in this barricaded room. She also knew her chakra couldn't pump into him the nutrients and water he needed to survive this ordeal, so instead, she simply hoped the energy she was putting in him would give him the strength to hold on a bit longer to life. She needed to find a village soon if this child was to survive.

' _Just a little more,_ ' Sakura thought.

Suddenly, a crack echoed around them, and Sakura didn't even bother to look behind her to examine the noise before picking up the boy in her arms and sweeping them both into a corner. Once she turned, her heart dropped at the sight. Sand was now pouring into the room like a cascading waterfall. The only source of light, the hole above her, had somehow given way, and the room was quickly filling with the hard grains. They would be buried alive, crushed to death, if the rosette didn't think of a plan quickly.

' _Shit._ ' She thought, clutching the young boy tighter.

She turned towards every wall, hoping to find a surface she could walk on. However, with the roof now gone, sand swam down each and every wall. Bricks were something her feet could hang onto; sand was not something her chakra could grip. She could feel the sand burying her to her ankles by the time she spotted a hanging vine latched onto one of the walls, and slowly she trudged towards the vegetation. Her only wish was that this be their ticket out of here, and that it wouldn't snap to their added weight.

Sakura took one last look at the child. He was still out cold by the looks of it, so she maneuvered him over her left shoulder and held him in place with her left hand.

"Looks like I'll be climbing with just one hand."

Sakura wasted no time tugging on the green, making sure it wouldn't give out. Once she had a sturdy grip, she swung her feet towards the sandy wall. She was going to try her best to walk up towards their only exit, and clutched the child harder with her left hand. Her feet at times would slip while sand continued to pour down on her legs, but she remained undeterred. They were going to get out of here, she refused to let this be the end for both her, and the young boy.

As time passed, and she drew closer and closer to the edge, Sakura thought she had this filling tomb beaten. When she neared to the edge however, the pouring sand grew heavier until both her feet slipped and she was left holding onto the vine with one hand. Below her, the golden grains were racing up to catch her.

"Damn it!" Sakura cursed, trying to swing her feet back towards the brick.

When her shoes slipped again, she felt panic rising in her. However, as she hung there and contemplated on what to do next, she felt the tiny hands of the boy grip her shoulder hard.

"Hey!" Sakura wasted no time calling to him.  
"Are you awake? Can you hang onto me while I try to climb us out of here?"

If she could rouse the child to wake, then hopefully he could find the strength to latch onto her while she got them out. If she could just free her left arm from holding him, than she would be able to hoist the two of them out by using the vine as a rope.

"Can you hear me?" she said again, feeling the boy stirring awake in her hold.

She shifted her head towards his way, trying to catch a glimpse of him when suddenly she felt him begin to push himself upright against her shoulder. When she saw his head rise, her heart skipped a beat. She waited for him to answer her, but instead he stared down at the sand rising below them. With no time to spare, she shook him lightly.

"I'm going to let go of you now. Just be sure to hang on tight!"

Sakura was about to loosen her clutch on him, to make sure he had heed her warning before completely pulling her hand off of him. However, she stilled her movements when she heard him seethe and fumble an arm over her shoulder and down her back. He looked to be reaching for the deadly sand below them.

"What are you doing?!" Sakura cried, bringing her hand back up to grip him lest he slip from her.

Before Sakura could even fathom what was happening, she heard a roaring sound below her. When she felt sand begin to twirl around them, she gripped the child closer to her. She wondered what air current was making the grains swim around them like this. Her attention returned to the kid when he again pushed himself up against her hold and peered at the exit above them. Before she could ask him anything, she suddenly felt herself being launched quickly up. The sand scratched at her skin while it shot her up like a rocket towards the surface.

From the speed, Sakura held onto the child tighter. She be damned if she drop, or lost, him to the sandy grave below. His stare, however, stayed glued upwards with determination, and only did he shift his body when the rosette tucked him close to her chest before they violently rolled across the desert around them. She did her best to use her body to shield him from their rough landing. The minute their tumble stopped, she stood and backed away from the crater and swimming sand that threatened to throw them back into that death pool.

As soon as she positioned herself on a safe, steady spot her knees began to shake, threatening to fall. Instinctively, she pulled the child closer to her body, reassured that they had both made it out safely. Her focus and sight remained on the giant hole a distance away from them. She couldn't help but watch it fill more and more like water to a tub.

"Ha," she sighed, almost wanting to laugh at the near death experience. "That was-!"

Sakura was silenced when a giant claw hit her peripheral vision before tearing into the side of her face. Immediately, she let go of the child in her arms to clutch at the wound that burned across her cheek and eye. The pain was horrendous, yet she forced her eye open just to be sure she hadn't been blinded. When she saw her vision still there, she hurriedly wiped what blood she could before scrambling to find the source that did this damage. Her eyes went round when the boy in her arms stood before her a few feet away. His tiny arm was now bulging out as a giant limb of sand, and immediately she recognized the blue etchings that laced up his new, grainy sleeve.

' _Ichibi,_ ' Sakura's mind pounded into her.

Sakura could only gape in shock as she remained staring at the boy. The child swayed in his spot, struggling to keep himself upright. He stood with his chest out to intimidate her, to frighten her away, but he was quickly losing this battle due to fatigue. His eyes kept crossing, and rolling as he tried to focus a narrow gaze at the rosette.

"Don't..." he rasped out, barely in a whisper. "Don't touch me. I'll kill you."

Sakura gulped at that dark speech. She no longer stood there in awe, but with curiosity instead. She was again plagued with many questions. Who had done this to this child? Who had captured Shukaku and forced him back inside a human? What was the motive and purpose behind all this? Was this some sort of mockery towards Gaara? Was Sakura about to return his child to him just to inform him that he had a tailed beast inside of him now? Had it been this child wielding sand that helped them to escape?

Sakura swallowed hard once more, her heart sinking for the boy in front of her. What hell had someone put him through? Slowly, she took a step forward. Like an animal, no matter how much the boy staggered, his angry orbs focused on Sakura, and her sudden movement. His glare only intensified when her hand reached out towards him.

"It's alright," she tried to coax him. "I'm not going to hurt you. You're safe now."

Despite her reassuring words, his angry gaze went unmoved.

"It'll be okay," Sakura spoke, stepping closer towards him. "I'm a friend."

The child's eyes seemed to widen for a second at Sakura's mention of friend. So, she waited, hoping he would perceive her as no threat and allow her to help him. However, it didn't take long for the child's legs to finally give out, and she watched as his eyes rolled into the back of his head before collapsing face first into the heap of sand. Once again, she raced to him and fell to her knees. Slowly, she rolled the boy over once more, studying him as his chest rose and fell with short breaths. Sakura grimaced as she stared at the child. It was cruel to think someone was toying with Gaara by turning this boy into a mockery.

"Poor thing," she murmured, cupping his cheek.

In time, Sakura focused her chakra back into her hands. Hoping to push a little more energy into him so he could make it through the journey back home, but before her hands reached him, she noticed the sand on his claw begin to spread and envelop the child's body. She was puzzled by this, allowing the sand more time to swallow him up before a dark realization hit her hard.

"No, no, no!" she cried, trying to frantically brush the sand off of the child.

It had slipped her mind, but she now remembered what she had learned about Gaara back when they were children. That when he slept, the Ichibi would take a hold of its host. Naruto had released the creature, along with his kind, years ago. Yet, she knew nothing about whether the monster hoarded any ill-will towards humans still. Surely the beast was not happy knowing he was put back into a human, a child at that. Despite her possibly having nothing to fear from Shukaku, she worried he would perceive her as an enemy if they were to come face to face.

No matter how much she had grown, the fighter in her was no match for a tailed beast.

Despite how frantic she was to brush off the grains, the sand did not let up as it tried to swallow the boy whole still. Bringing her palm high into the air, she forced her eyes off of the child before she swung a hard blow across his face. She knew she had no other option, but the thought of beating this already worn out child tore at her heart that she had to look away.

' _I'm so sorry!_ ' Sakura thought when her palm slapped across his face. ' _Please don't let Gaara find out about this..._ '

She only turned to face him when he let out a loud groan to her hit. The sand on him quickly fell back to the ground, and Sakura couldn't help but smile knowing her idea had worked. Even his giant claw fell back into the earth as nothing but grains. Still, this was no time for celebration, and she quickly reached for the boy. His eyes were still closed, and she knew fatigue threatened to pull him back to sleep.

"Hey!" she called to the child, shaking him lightly. "Open your eyes!"

While the boy stirred lightly to her words, his gaze did not open to meet with hers. Wasting no time, she held him close to her chest and focused her chakra back to her hands to give the child some adrenaline. When she could sense sand trying to wrap him in its blanket, she was left with no choice but to pull back on his eyelid and let go. As cruel as it seemed, it was her only way of ensuring the boy would stay awake in her arms. For despite the help the chakra was at keeping him alive, he was still too battered to completely wake.

' _What did they do to you?_ ' Sakura wondered, staring deeply into his beaten face.

She wasn't sure what she needed to be worried about the most here. Shukaku was trying his best to claim his host, but death was also knocking on this child's door. Sakura's eyes scoured the desert around her. Hope was inside her once more when she saw the silhouette of Suna off in the distance. She traveled twice as fast towards the village than when she carried that damn scroll. As she ran, she continued to pump her chakra into the boy, glancing down at him from time to time so as to be sure he had not succumbed to either death, nor slumber.

At times, she could feel the grains chasing after her to steal the boy. That would be her cue to pull back on the child's eye to wake him.

Her huffs grew heavy over time. Again, she stifled for a relaxed breath while she ran fast. She knew she was pushing herself beyond her limit by sprinting at her full speed, and pouring her energy into the child. When she saw the guards of Suna's only entrance and exit, she called out to them despite her weary state.

"Hey!" she cried, racing towards them.

Immediately, they took their defensive stance when they saw her approaching. They tried to decipher who she was, as well as what bundle she carried towards them. When Sakura saw it was only two of them, she wondered what had happened to Gaara's elite defense. Last time she was here, the young lord had littered the walls with ninja. As she drew nearer to the two guards, she shook off her thoughts. Now was not the time.

"State your business!" one of them demanded once she was in ear-shot away.

To this, she slowed her pace. Now walking to meet the two guards who studied the body in her arms more closely than her.

"Please," Sakura said between heavy breaths, "I think I have the Kazekage's child. He's in pretty bad shape!"

Sakura halted her steps when the men raced up to meet her. As they studied the boy in her arms, she tried to express how serious the situation was.

"He is barely alive," Sakura spoke. "He needs medical attention, now!"

She pushed the boy towards the two men in front of her, thinking they would waste no time taking the child and rushing him to a hospital. Yet, as she offered the kid towards them, both men jumped back in obvious fear. Their action made the rosette pull the boy close back to her chest. Her expression was puzzled. Who were these cowards? Surely what she held was no threat to them.

Right?

Sakura took a step towards the men, offering the child up once more. When their pitiful shrieks of terror hit her ears again, and they both jumped back to her advance, her eye's narrowed angrily.

"Take him!" she practically barked.

Did they not understand that time was of the essence for this worn-down child? She knew they could see how close to death this kid was, yet they refused to offer any sort of help.

' _What kind of_ _ninja_ _are you training here, Gaara?_ ' Sakura thought bitterly.

She stared at the two shaking men before her. When a minute went by, Sakura could no longer stomach their obvious, broken spirits.

"Bring me to his father then!" Sakura's anger rose her tone high. "Take me to the Kazekage, you pathetic excuses!"

Her orders had the men jump back another foot, but as reluctant as they had been to take the child, they were silently grateful to Sakura's offer.

"Follow me." one of them offered immediately.

Wasting no time, the two of them jogged towards the giant crevasse that led inside to Suna. Sakura continued to pour her chakra into the child while passing the long trail. In front of her, the man turned his head slightly back to meet her eyes.

"Despite me bringing you in so easily, If I sense you as a threat to our Kazekage, your life ends then."

Sakura scoffed at the brave front the man was now trying to pull. He looked ready to wet himself the second his eyes fell onto this child, yet he was now threatening her life like he could take it so easily? He had already left a bad impression for the rosette, so she sneered at his words. She opened her mouth to reprimand him, and to remind him that she was someone the Kazekage was expecting. She was about to tell him she came from Konoha, and that he could trust an ally, but lost her voice when she stepped into the light that was Suna.

Her eyes went round while she took in the incredible damage around her. Rubble was littered everywhere, homes were crumbled to nothing, and buildings were missing layers. The town was cluttered with battered, dirty villagers. A look of loss, and defeat, in their eyes while they attempted to clean the mess around them. Sakura had almost tripped while trying to take in the giant, mess around her. She turned her eyes back to the man in front of her, to call out to him and ask him what had happened to the village. Had this been the reason Gaara was so forward with Kakashi about how important that scroll had been? Why hadn't the Kazekage asked for the help of Konoha in any way?

Before Sakura could question the man jogging in front of her, she caught a glimpse to the side of her. Then to her other side, and then another presence behind her. Turning her head, she watched as men with cloth around their faces now escorted them.

' _Anbu,_ ' Sakura thought, finally happy to know how serious these ninja were handling this situation.

However, there was still no offer to take up the child. They only shielded her from each side as they raced for the Kazekage's palace. Sakura sighed when they reached the giant, dome. Somehow, looking past the damage around her, the village seemed a little off. The town around her looked a little decrepit, as if time itself turned backwards here. Granted, it had been years since her last trip to Suna, so the rosette simply shrugged off the idea. Instead, she stood in her spot as she was asked to wait outside for the Kazekage.

The coward in front of her wasted no time racing inside the giant building. The Anbu next to her merely formed a shield around her, as if masking her from wandering eyes. Precautions, Sakura assumed, surely they did not want this child to be stolen once more under their noses. Looking down at the child, the young woman shook him lightly, hoping he would open his eyes. All that came from him was a small groan, and a small shuffle around her arms.

"Don't worry," Sakura murmured for the child to hear. "You're safe now. They'll have you feeling better in no time."

Sakura couldn't help but smile lightly when the boy's eyes fluttered to her words. She imagined if he had the energy, he would thank her. Her eyes remained fixated only on him until she heard the sound of footsteps racing towards them. The rosette turned towards the Kazekage when he drew near. She had so many questions for Gaara that she wasn't sure where to begin. However, when her eyes met with auburn hair, and dark eyes, she took a step back from the approaching man that don the Kazekage wear. This wasn't the red haired, pale eyed man she expected.

' _Who?_ ' Sakura questioned in her mind.

Her eyes went round as she took in this new person. Where was Gaara? Was this man perhaps a decoy to enemies? Was this a way to keep Gaara safe? Her ears could hear nothing while she stared at the cowardly ninja and this new stranger speak back and forth while staring down at the boy in her arms.

"Who are you?"

Her question was so faint; she hadn't meant to speak her thoughts. However, shock was plagued and riddled on her look that she couldn't help but ask. Despite her small voice, she earned the eyes of the man in front of her. He suddenly studied her as much as she studied him. His look was stoic, and yet somehow familiar to Sakura. It was an expression Gaara was most notable for, and she was reminded greatly of the young lord while taking in this older man's features.

"My name is Rasa. I am the fourth Kazekage."

Sakura's breath was lost, and she took a step back from the stranger and clutched the boy in her arms tighter.

' _Fourth?'_

Sakura wasn't sure what to say, or how to fathom what was being said to her. She had wanted to correct the man in front of her, to remind him the fourth was dead, and that Gaara ran this village as the fifth now. However, her voice was lost with the breath that had left her. She was beyond confused at the situation around her, and the serious look this _Rasa_ was giving her made her all the more flabbergasted.

"You have my gratitude for returning my son, Gaara, back to me," Rasa spoke, studying the woman still.

Sakura's legs shook to his words, knees threatening to fall once more. She suddenly felt very faint, and clutched the boy closer towards her, just to reassure herself that what she was holding was very real.

' _Gaara?_ ' she thought, eyes falling back to the child in her arms.

She took in his distinguishable features. Red hair, black eyes, no eyebrows, and most obvious of all, the scar that read love on his head. She could feel her grip on the boy slipping. Somehow, she wanted to just let go of what she held and turn around, and run back home. To run back to the reality she knew and was familiar with.

This fantasy she could not handle.

"And your name?" Rasa spoke, noting the woman's lost expression.

Sakura only ignored the man in front of her while staring down at the child still.

' _Is this really Gaara?_ ' she wondered. ' _Why are you a child again? Why does this man call you his son?_ '

It wasn't until the boy let out a loud, wheezing breath did Sakura gasp. Her eyes quickly shot back up to the man in front of her. Panic was in her look now.

"The Ichibi!" Sakura cried at Rasa.  
"He is inside of Gaara! Someone put the tailed beast back into him!"

Rasa's eyes widened lightly to Sakura's sudden cry. She was a new to him, to this village, he was aware of that. Yet, she had notable knowledge of Gaara being his son, and the monster that made home inside of him. Something he had been careful not to let the world outside these walls know.

"What other knowledge do you hold?" Rasa eagerly asked.

To his tone, and peculiarity, Sakura returned her emerald eyes back to his stoic look. She studied him for a moment before glimpsing at the Anbu around her. She could sense their sudden caution of her. She was a stranger with too much information. She was being perceived as a threat, and would probably be detained if she let more secrets slip out. She needed to compose herself and evaluate the situation more before she announced to Rasa all she knew.

Luckily for her, Gaara was the perfect distraction.

Sakura raised the child up towards his _father_ , and Rasa's eyes fell back onto him.

"I've put as much chakra as I can to keep him alive. If we don't assess him further and help him, he will die."

Sakura's eyes narrowed as she watched Rasa contemplate her words. He studied the boy as if considering the option of death. To this, the rosette brought the child back close to her chest. Her teeth practically snarled at the Kazekage in front of her.

"If you will not help him, then allow me to leave with him so that I may!"

The men surrounding her were quick to box her in, and take their fighting stance. It was a warning, she knew, that she was not going to be allowed out of this village with Gaara in her arms. Not unless their leader had a say so.

Despite her temper, Rasa looked down at her with his passive stare.

"You have had medical training?"

As Rasa asked this, Sakura was unsure whether to answer or not. She worried how much, and what, info to let this man in front of her know. In time though, she nodded. There was no reason to hide this fact from him when he could see the chakra pooling from her hands into his son.

The older man looked amused to this revelation, and he rubbed his chin while poring over the woman. He would keep it to himself, but he was intrigued by the girl in front of him. She spoke little, and lingered here for not long, but was a curious being to him. Very curious. In his village, medical ninja were rare. And whatever scarceness he could find also seemed to lack just the basic of medical knowledge. His curiosity took the better hold of him, and whispered at him to see what more she could do. For him, if she failed in any way, there would be no loss.

Just another body to bury, and a nuisance taken care of.

"In that case, follow me."

Rasa turned, heading towards the hospital. However, Sakura was reluctant to move, unsure what would happen behind closed doors. She eyed the men around her again, looked at the boy in her arms, and then back up at the man who called himself Sand Lord. He was new to her, everything around her was. The only thing familiar to her was the child in her arms, Gaara. Even then, she couldn't fathom why he had been changed into a young being. She suddenly felt very trapped, and very alone.

She gave the young boy another squeeze before following after Rasa, reassuring herself that at least one thing to her was well-known. She had fought to keep him striving, and she would fight to keep him alive. Despite the cold look Rasa gave the child, Sakura would rather bring a fist to the older man's face than let Gaara slowly die under her watch. Her hands on Gaara shook as she stared determinedly at the man's back.

The hallways were empty as Sakura walked behind Rasa through the hospital. She followed some distance away from him, trying to catch glimpses of the odd details of this place. Last she had been here, it seemed like a completely different building; full of busy people, and much more work to be done. At times, she would glance at a nurse or doctor heading towards their direction, but when their eyes met with the child in her arms, they suddenly had urgent business in the path opposite of them.

Sakura's nose wrinkled at these notions. She wondered when the Kazekage in front of her would speak out and call for someone to heed his son. Yet, all he did was lead her higher and higher in the tall building. She tried at times to find something familiar in this place, maybe a face she had met once before. She wanted, no, needed, someone or something to help her grasp that this was in fact reality. She clutched the boy in her arms again. His presence was her only reassurance that she wasn't a stranger here, despite the fact he had un-aged over ten years backward.

' _What is going on?_ ' she thought.

As much as she wanted to investigate the unknown, the men following closely behind her ensured she kept up with her steps behind Rasa.

"What has happened to this village? To Gaara?" Sakura asked in time, finally hoping for an analytical answer.

Her questions were met with silence for some time. The man in front of her kept his pose, and pace, strong and forward despite her questioning. With hands behind his back, he didn't even turn towards her when he finally answered.

"The ruins around us was Gaara's doing."

A pause, and a moment for Sakura to look down at the boy. Doubting this destruction as his.

"The Ichibi rampaged through the village."

Sakura felt the hair on the back of her neck stand. Surely Gaara would cause no harm to the place he called home.

"His attacks led him out towards the desert, where we eventually lost sight of him."

Another pause. It occurred to Sakura now that the Kazekage was wary of what information he shared, and what was best to keep secret. This was why he stopped before continuing.

"Gaara was missing for almost two weeks."

"Two weeks?!"

Her steps stopped then, gazing once more at the child in her arms. Was she to believe he had survived that long alone? Resources were scarce in the wild. It was no wonder why she had found him so weak.

Sakura began her steps again when the two men behind her ushered her to keep moving. Her eyes stayed glued to the child at hand, awed at his strength while trying to understand what all this information meant. Only did she look up when Rasa finally led her into a room. Behind her the Anbu men did not follow, but instead guarded the door from outside. She stood rooted on her spot, turning a full circle around when she took notice of some familiar, but also odd, instruments.

She turned to see the operating table and laid Gaara gently upon it, once again looking at the medical instruments on a table next to her.

' _Old,_ ' was her first impression of them.

Just like this village, buildings around them, this hospital included, this Rasa claiming to be the fourth, a young Gaara, everything here seemed to have regressed backwards in time. She had to ask herself, were these instruments old because of an economic crisis happening, or were there other reasons? She suddenly sensed an uncomfortable air around her. Without even turning to him, she knew Rasa was staring at her, and that in turn made the rosette want to flee. To flee from him, from this backwards place and back to home, where surely she would feel safe and find answers there. Surely time was as she remembered it to be in Konoha.

"You may begin."

Sakura tensed to his words, and whipped her eyes quickly up to Rasa. Despite her confusion, she narrowed her gaze to his stoic look. She knew when she was being sized up.

"Excuse me?" Sakura asked, though had a vague idea where he was going to direct the conversation.

As she had thought, Rasa slowly gestured his hand towards Gaara

"You may begin," he repeated before passive eyes were back on her.

"You want me...?" Sakura asked, anger in her tone.

"You told me you have had medical training, did you not?"

Sakura bit her tongue before replying, she could feel her temper suddenly rising. He spoke with no emotion, yet the way he talked to her bothered her. Besides, who was he to decide Gaara's life rest in her hands? She was a stranger to Rasa, an enemy she could even be to him if she wanted, yet he offered his son's life willingly to her. There was no urgency in his voice, no pleading from his words, not even kindness graced him when he asked her to save Gaara, and that itself daunted her all the more. Every parent was different, but when it came to their child's life, the young woman was almost always asked with tears and serene words to save their kid. That they would offer anything just for their child to be spared. Yet, this Kazekage stood there as if this was an act as pressing as afternoon tea.

"I did," Sakura answered. "Surely you wouldn't want an outsider handling your own son though."

Sakura spoke to reason with him, for she feared his underlying premise if she aided Gaara. She knew his eyes would be glued to her like a hawks.

"Everyone here fears Gaara. They will not come to his aid unless I ask."

Sakura's eyes went round to this news. Even if Gaara here was suddenly not Kazekage, the man before her spoke of him as his son, wasn't that enough urgency to beckon the top doctors of this village here into this room?

"Why is that?" she asked, curiosity getting the better of her.

Rasa did not answer her, but instead turned his head towards the ticking clock. She followed his gaze, staring at the time, and taking a moment to think of the reasons. When the most obvious one finally came, her eyes flinched lightly before looking back down at the Kazekage. His eyes were already back on her.

"The Ichibi," Sakura whispered.

"Time is of the essence."

Sakura glared at the man. Angry at him for his taunting words. It was apparent to her now this Rasa didn't care for Gaara in the slightest, this was just some sort of test for her. His attention was on her now instead of the life of his son. Somewhere in the back of her mind, this story seemed familiar. She couldn't remember the details now, but she learned from someone, somewhere, that Gaara's father treated his life as if it were as precious to him as an ant's. She couldn't be too sure of that tale though, just something she thought she may have heard. When it came to Gaara, stories of him and his past usually swept past Sakura's head, she had little interest in the redhead. Gaara was Kazekage, a good one, and Naruto's friend, that was as far as her mind told her she needed to know. Never did she find it beneficial to indulge herself in his past and learn of his secrets, until now, that is.

"Why should I help you?" Sakura snapped. "What benefit is there of this for me? For you?"

His stare suddenly became cold.

"None whatsoever."

Sakura flinched lightly to his words, if she was doubtful before, it was painfully obvious now to see Rasa thought very little of Gaara's life.

"How do I know this isn't some sort of trick? My medical title is on the line here," Sakura spat.

Rasa took a step towards Sakura, his eyes on her before back on his son.

"The only thing I can offer you at the moment is my word that, if Gaara dies, I will not hold you responsible for it."

"You speak as though his life means nothing to you," Sakura said, her eyes drifting towards Gaara as well.

The silence that followed stung at her heart, his answer all the clear. Despite how distant Gaara and her were, Sakura felt her heart ache knowing this father cared nothing for the great man this kid would become.

"Let me take him," Sakura's plead was quiet. "Let me take him then if he means nothing to you. Give him to me."

Rasa scoffed at this, once again striding away from her.

"And how would you stop it?" Rasa asked, his eyes intent on Sakura's reaction. "How would you stop the _Ichibi_?"

She couldn't. Only Naruto had. She knew if the Ichibi escaped from his chains, that hell would come about once more if the monster wished it.

"Besides, Gaara may be dangerous inside these walls," Rasa spoke. "But he is an even bigger threat outside of them."

Sakura did not speak, instead listening to the ticking clock and staring at the small boy, pondering what to do next. Her urge to protect him was now wavering. She was walking on a thin line between saving Gaara, or running away back to Konoha. She wanted so much to help the young boy, but worried she was waltzing herself into Rasa's trap.

"Well?"

To his words, Sakura took one last look at him before drifting them back to Gaara. A sigh escaped her as she took in the boy's beaten look. Frail he was, with burnt patches of skin all over his flushed body. His breathing was erratic once more, and his body fidgeted lightly. She walked closer to him, brushing his hair off to the side and placing a gentle hand on his forehead. It came to her as no surprise that his skin was burning, yet no sweat perspired. Back home, this condition was rarely brought to her in the hospital, yet in Suna, she assumed this sort of thing more common. Nonetheless, she recognized his ailment with ease.

It was as Rasa had said, time was of the essence, and a lot of it had already been wasted by their conversation. Her only hope, as she lowered herself to the boy's ear, was that some internal damage hadn't already been done.

"I won't let you die," She whispered into Gaara's ear, knowing he probably couldn't even hear her. "Your life is much more important than he thinks."


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beta'd by [**Errihu**](https://archiveofourown.org/users/errihu/pseuds/errihu).

Rising from the boy's side, she turned to the Kazekage. She no longer cared if he would question what knowledge she had after, or how threatening he would perceive her now, she just couldn't hold back her tongue from speaking.

"Gaara will not die. I won't allow it. He will be needed by many someday."

As expected, Rasa's curiosity grew to her words, yet his stare on her was as cold as ever. He, too, said nothing while he watched Sakura reach for an IV pump. Though old, the basic principal of it was the same, and she worked quickly settling a saline bag, line, and needle in place. She cleaned the skin around Gaara's arm before bringing the needle towards it. To get the saline in him was a means to get him feeling better quickly, and she had every intention of helping him. His sand, his defense, however thought otherwise.

Before the needle could even graze his skin, a small block of grains appeared. It was as big as the needles point, but even Sakura knew she wouldn't be able to breakthrough the small barrier. Unfortunately, as she stood back up, her eyes turned and went back to Rasa, who wore an amused look on him.

"What will you do now, _medic_? His sand protects him," he mocked.

Sakura grimaced and turned back to Gaara. To get saline in him was of the most importance right now, and she tried to think hard on what step to now take. She wondered if her incredible strength would be enough for her to push the needle through his block of sand.

' _The needle wouldn't be sterile after that,_ ' the medical side of her mind argued.

Sakura bit her lip, contemplating her options.

' _Sterile or not. H_ _is struggle to survive will be worse_ _if I can't get the needle in him._ '

Bending towards his arm once more, Sakura brought the sharp point as close to his arm as his sand would allow. When the tiny blockade appeared once again, she began focusing her chakra to her fingertips. It was a struggle, for she feared too much of her strength would be dangerous.

' _Just enough to break through,_ ' she pleaded in her mind. ' _I don't want to damage his arm._ '

When she felt his sand beginning to give way, she pressed her thumb against his arm, hoping for the vein to protrude out more. With her strength, she was happy to see Gaara's sand crack, and break as she dug the needle through it. The second she broke the barrier, she slowed down her hand as fast as she could. Her delicacy and determination paid off when the needle entered his skin, and a flash of blood presented itself. Success, she had wanted to beam, but only let a small smile etch on her face as she worked on the pump to begin its saline drip.

The most important task was done, and as she scrambled around the room for a thermometer, stethoscope and blood pressure cuff, she could feel Rasa's shocked stare settle intently on her. When she was young, and entered the exams Gaara was taking place in as well, his defense of sand was praised by so many around her. No doubt she was now one of the small group of few that had broken through Gaara's _absolute defense_.

However, as Sakura began taking in Gaara's vitals, it dawned on her how dangerous her situation was becoming. Again, she was a stranger with too much knowledge, and now an unknown who had a strength to take down what Rasa probably thought was impossible of Gaara's. She was letting him learn too much of her, and unsure if this was a bad or good thing. Again, she allowed many questions to surface back in her mind. Rasa called himself Kazekage, the fourth, and Gaara's father. That itself was baffling, and unsettling for her. Yet, Suna and Konoha were allies, there was really nothing she had to fear, right?

"His vitals are stabilizing," Sakura spoke, caring not if Rasa could hear or not. "He is going to be alright."

Basic, simple. Though Gaara's sand had brought a small obstacle into play, Sakura knew this was a situation she was more than capable of handling. Turning to a fridge, she took out some ice packs and laid them on top of Gaara's torso, hoping to cool him off at a quicker rate. That's when she noticed the patches of burnt skin on the child. She grimaced at the sight, imagining he had walked through the sun's cruel heat for days.

' _Two weeks in the desert,_ ' she thought. ' _Why? Were you trying to run away?_ '

As she turned, looking for ointment to help with the red flesh, her eyes flashed with Rasa's for a brief second.

' _I wouldn't blame you. Something seems off about your father._ '

As Sakura returned to Gaara, gloves on her hand and ready to rub the cream onto the marks of burnt skin, she noticed the boy suddenly stirring. She could see him trying to force his eyes open, attempting to move his body, and yet his full strength still had not return. However, the longer she stared, the more a familiar scene came into play. Familiar, she called it, yet she had only seen it once in her lifetime. Still, the unusual act had been so captivating and perplexing that, when it had happened to Naruto, she had never forgotten it.

She could see a red cloak begin bubbling on the patches of cooked skin. Though they were many, she understood what self-healing the Ichibi was now aiding Gaara with. She had been wise to use the IV pump right away, and yet, she worried that with strength returning to Shukaku, so too would his strong will to escape. She contemplated explaining this to Rasa, for again she feared how much knowledge he would learn of her having. However, she would realize then his thoughts matched alongside hers.

Rasa called for his men, addressing them to find the doctors and nurses now to keep Gaara awake.

"Once he can manage staying awake on his own, bring him home," Rasa ordered of his men.

Sakura peeked an eye towards the ninja when Rasa asked them of this task, curiosity getting the best of her. She couldn't help but smirk when she saw the nervousness behind their eyes.

' _Pathetic,_ ' she thought before turning to look down at Gaara once more.

She could sense him still struggling to awake fully, but to her touch, his body seemed to relax.

"I told you I wouldn't let you die," she whispered at the boy.

Her attention was only stolen from Gaara when Rasa spoke again.

"Gather the councilmen to the meeting chamber now. I have something important to discuss with them." Rasa's voice was laced with urgency.

"Yes, Kazekage-sama."

Like the men who were to fetch the nurse and doctors for Gaara, these next men were sent to gather what Rasa requested, and a next group of ninja presented itself in front of their lord.

"Get her something to eat, and drink."

Though her back was to them, she knew that he spoke of her.

"Have her wait by my office."

She listened to Rasa shuffle behind her, looking towards her now. He addressed her as if she was one of the men behind her, who were ready to beckon to his call and obey his order.

' _I do not belong to you,_ ' she thought bitterly, yet listened still.

"Eat. Rest. Wait for me and I will speak to you after my meeting with the council."

He did not wait for her agreement, instead turning and leaving the room. Sakura meanwhile contemplated her options while brushing a hand against Gaara's dirty hair.

' _Should I run?_ ' she thought. ' _Should I_ _run_ _back to Konoha?_ '

For what reason, another part of her mind asked. Suna and Konoha are allies, I shouldn't feel hostile towards him.

' _His eyes were_ _on_ _me the whole time. I've gotten his attention._ '

Sakura's eyes narrowed to this. She knew she shouldn't feel threatened, or like a prisoner to him, but suddenly feared what is was Rasa was so set on speaking to his council about. He had heard her words, she had said and shown too much, he would surely wring her out for all she knew.

' _Perhaps, it's just my medical knowledge he is after,_ ' she thought.

Fool, her mind called her to that thinking. However, she knew there was an even more plaguing question that should be bothering her. Rasa claimed this was Suna, but was it really, she wondered. She had never heard of such a technique, but now the idea of time going backwards presented itself.

"Am I in the past?" she whispered, stroking Gaara's hair more, for it brought some sort of comfort.

If this was true. What was she to do? Should she explain this to Rasa? Ask for his aid? Or would she keep it secret and figure this out on her own back home in Konoha? Maybe, if she was lucky, this was just some odd nightmare. Maybe she was still out in the desert, taken by someone who manipulated her mind. Or maybe, even genjutsu.

Before she could even elaborate on that idea, for she herself mostly immune to the technique, a heavy hand found her shoulder.

"Kazekage-sama has requested we keep you nearby his office. He will speak to you once his meeting with the councilmen is concluded."

Sakura wanted to scoff at this man, for she had heard everything Rasa had said. However, she held her tongue. It wasn't this man's fault that his duty required him to elaborate, and slowly she turned and nodded at him. As one man led her, another following closely behind, the opportunity of running away presented itself once more in her mind. Especially when they led her through the broken down village. She fought the urge however, worried of the repercussions that could follow.

Not to mention, a part of her deep down, a small part, wanted to be sure Gaara would be alright. She hoped no internal injury had happened, and would wait anxiously to hear of his condition. Turning to the man in front of her, she requested one thing before deciding she would keep silent until she spoke with Rasa again.

"Can you get me a pocket calendar?"

* * *

Sakura sipped on her water bottle for what felt like the hundredth time. She wasn't thirsty anymore in the slightest, simply frustrated and anxious in her spot. Her nerves rattled her, and placing her lips on the bottle became a sudden tic for her. Her eyes hadn't left the little calendar in her hand, and as she sat there in silence, two ninja standing guard beside her, she knew she was meant to be more flustered than she was currently allowing.

Like the world around her predicted for her, the date she was reading was far back into the past.

She rubbed her temple while trying to contemplate the situation. The last thing she remembered before the world went back in time was her courier mission of the scroll. At the oasis, she had lost the parcel in the water. While she was struggling to retrieve it, had someone used a powerful technique on her?

"Bastard," she whispered before taking another sip of her water.

Though the illusion to create an old world was possible, never before had she heard of such a technique to send one back to the past. Yet, in her ninja world, impossible to her sometimes became achievable the more she saw the world. So surprisingly, she was calm while staring at the calendar, trying to decide her next course of action.

It had been two hours now as she sat waiting for Rasa, but she still felt an unsettling uneasiness in her stomach at the thought. Konoha and Suna were allies at this time, yes, but there were still... _quarrels_ between the two villages she could say. She didn't know much of it; just little tidbits she had learned in time. However, she wondered if revealing this information, that she was from Konoha, to Rasa would be met with good or bad intent on his part.

She scratched at her head lightly, where her forehead protector would be had she not lost it in all the chaos.

' _Perhaps it's a sign,_ ' she thought. ' _Maybe it's a good thing they don't know where I'm from._ '

Sakura sighed, placing the calendar back into her pocket. She pulled out a bar of dark chocolate the men had offered her, opening it up and breaking off a piece of the bark to eat. The taste was bitter, but she relished in the flavor. It had been some time since she had eaten chocolate, and she sat in her seat in silence, waiting for Rasa's return.

The men next to her would not speak, nor did she look for conversation in them. In a way, she felt lost and confused. There were so many things she should preoccupy her mind with at the moment. Like thinking of a way back home to her time, yet, she sat there with blank thoughts. Where she knew she should be taking charge, a lead, the situation was so perplexing to her, that she instead allowed another to shed some light on her situation. She waited for this Rasa guy, hoping answers she was looking for would suddenly become all the more clearer at his return.

' _Fool,_ ' her mind called her again that day.

Her peripheral vision caught a swift movement to the entryway just a few feet from her. Turning her head to the side, she leaned on the edge of her chair to get a better view past one of the men watching her. She blinked rapidly when two small children met with her eyes. They took her in as curiously as she did them, yet they hid their bodies still behind the wall. Their eyes stayed with her for they were simply curious children, wondering who this new stranger was. Her eyes stayed on them, because despite their age, she recognized them without difficulty, and even knew their names.

' _Temari. Kankuro._ '

She wasn't sure why, perhaps they were actually people who she recognized aside from Gaara, maybe she wanted to be sure they were the children, or because an instinct to nourish them came to her suddenly, but immediately she broke a piece of her chocolate. She nudged the food towards the kids, whose eyes widened from her offer.

The young boy's gaze swept to his sister, as if she spoke for the both of them. Temari's eyes shifted to the sides of her, as if sensing someone who would be opposed of them may come quickly by. However, she rose her nose into the air while strolling over so casually towards Sakura when no one presented themselves to stop her. The boy lingered behind however, watching his sister with worried eyes as he hid further behind the wall.

Sakura smiled at Temari's smug look. Her chin was held high as if she was queen of this land, and the rosette couldn't help but snicker inside her mind at this snobby display. The young girl said nothing as she offered her hand, and Sakura obliged to her silent request by dropping a piece of chocolate into her fingers. It was then the Konoha woman noticed Temari's long hair, surprised her familiar known pig-tails did not start at this young of age.

"I like your hair," Sakura complimented.

The child froze mid-bite, as if Sakura's words were taboo. However, the young girl shook off the uneasiness to enjoy the chocolate and eyed Sakura peculiarly.

"You have pink hair," Temari commented back, and Sakura wondered if this was looked at by Temari as ridicule, or if she simply stated a fact.

Sakura forced a warm smile, brushing her pink strands back some before asking.

"What is your name?"

Despite knowing the answer, Sakura asked to keep up her facade and in small hopes the child in front of her would grow a fondness towards her. Though, she wasn't sure why she felt the need. Temari in her future already held her in high regards. Perhaps, Sakura feared to lose that in this past.

"Temari."

The blonde's lips grew a sudden grin, as if something mischievous suddenly came to her mind.

"I am the Kazekage's first born."

Sakura knew Temari looked at her now in hopes of the usual, exuberant awe she was usually given after this announcement, and pouted lightly when the rosette did not compel. Instead, Sakura traced a finger towards Kankuro, and the young boy flinched and hid when Sakura and Temari's look met with his.

"Who is that?" Sakura asked. "Your boyfriend?"

Temari's face fell to that question, yet a giggle erupted from her too.

"No! Ew!" the blonde cried, her chocolate almost falling from her hand. "That's Kankuro. He's my brother."

Sakura nodded.

"My name is Sakura."

The blonde said nothing, taking another bite of her treat before Sakura asked another question.

"Do you have any other siblings?"

Sakura noted how the tan color of the young girl's face suddenly paled. She eyed Sakura carefully before her eyes swept to the guards next to the rosette. Temari looked extremely fearful, as if Sakura had spoken yet another taboo.

"Gaara," Temari answered, voice shaking lightly before she continued. "I have another brother named Gaara. I don't get to see him that much though."

"Why not?"

Again, Temari eyed the guards and back to where Kankuro stood, who was still watching the ordeal with eyes of worry.

"Father doesn't let us," she whispered closer to Sakura. "He killed our mother. He kills whoever he wants. Father says he would kill us too. There's a monster inside his head."

Sakura couldn't help but let her mouth fall slightly, for she had never known this of Gaara.

' _He killed_ _his..._ _mother?_ ' she wondered in bewilderment.

Surely this rumor wasn't true. This was probably just another lie Rasa had spoke to his children. That, or Temari's mischievous smile and glint from before exaggerated all the more in her speech. However, the wariness the young girl held in her eyes made Sakura second guess all this.

"Gaara ran away," Temari spoke again, throwing off Sakura's thoughts. "But I heard he came back."

Nodding towards her, Sakura spoke.

"He has. He's at the hospital right now."

Temari said nothing as she eyed the last bit of her chocolate. Before plopping the piece onto her tongue, she spoke to the food with a passive look.

"I wish he didn't come back. I wish he would have died, then I could be father's favorite."

' _Father's favorite?_ ' Sakura sat in wonder.

Surely she was not referring to Gaara being Rasa's favorite child. What parent would favor one over their siblings? Let alone, how cold Rasa acted towards Gaara, for the redhead to be deemed the favored would mean Temari and Kankuro were probably cast more off to the side than Gaara.

"Temari!"

A booming voice entered the hallway, making both females jump in their spots. Their eyes met with Rasa as he strolled over to the young girl, his face all the scolding.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, and before even given an answer he continued. "Go home. Now."

He studied Temari a little more before continuing.

"And put your hair up."

Temari hastily nodded towards the older man, and as her eyes returned to Sakura, the rosette took a moment to shove the rest of the bar of chocolate into her hands.

"Share it with your brother," Sakura commented.

"Bye, bye, Sakura," Temari whispered before running off.

Sakura was surprised Rasa did not protest, or perceive her still as danger, for he let the young girl scurry away with the chocolate. What shocked her even more was Rasa's next comment while Sakura stood herself.

"You've made a grave mistake."

"How so?" Sakura retorted, cautious of his words.

"She will come back to you begging for the world once she's done with that chocolate."

To hear something so lighthearted, and casual from this strange man made Sakura unusually comfortable suddenly. Though, she knew deep down her ease was severely misplaced. A different time, a strange Kazekage, one who thought little of Gaara's life, she should be hissing at the man, not following him as he beckoned her into his office. However, she did exactly just that. Sitting down at the chair Rasa offered her at the other side of his desk.

"Sakura, where do you come from?" he asked the second her bottom found the seat.

Sakura flinched to the use of her name. How did he manage to learn of her? Yet, as soon as she asked that question in her mind, she realized the second mistake she had made with Temari. Of course the older man had heard his daughter utter Sakura's name.

"Sakura?" he asked again when she fell silent. "I asked you where you came from."

' _Of course,_ ' Sakura thought, eying the familiar yet different Kazekage office. ' _Interrogation time. I know too much for someone outside from these walls._ '

She feared how more ill Konoha would be perceived by Rasa had she told him she was from there, despite the alliance. Would he claim spies from her home? Seek a war against her Hokage for learning his secrets? These questions came to her fast, so instead, she shook her head.

"I come from nowhere. I simply travel village to village."

Her pose was straight, her face was apathetic, and her tone was professional. She was an expert at lying at this age, yet Rasa's eyes narrowed coldly towards her. In time, his fingers laced together, studying the girl in front of him.

"Your home then? Where were you were born?"

"I cannot remember. Since I was young, my parents and I traveled the world. They said I was born outside of any village."

"Perhaps, they were hiding for some reason?"

Sakura kept quiet, studying Rasa just as much. Her lies were small, but they were thought up on the spot, and the rosette worried he had already seen through them easily.

"I was still young when they passed. Whatever secrets they kept, they kept hidden from me and took to their graves."

She was surprised to see the brunette smirk lightly. He seemed so serious and cold that it felt untypical for him, despite her only knowing him for a day.

"It's interesting to meet someone who travels my desert so unprepared. I imagine you would at least be carrying a bag. Right, traveler?"

Sakura clenched her fist, she was grateful how fast, and sharp her mind was.

"I lost it while bringing your son back to you."

Her words ended with a hiss of venom. Even though she knew Rasa cared little for Gaara's life, she tried to imply all she had done for this Kazekage today. Who was he to treat her so coldly when she saved his child? However, deep down she knew he was justified. This was the ninja world after all, and he was Kazekage. People relied on him.

"Let me guess, your skills and knowledge are of something you learned during your travels as well? Do rumors of my son also whisper out of the mouths of outsiders? Is that where you learned of Gaara?"

Sakura tensed lightly, his tone matched hers, but she understood the underlying sarcasm. He didn't believe her lies. Her story was false in his mind. However, she nodded to answer him yes, refusing to crack under him. He nodded to her answer, though eyes still skeptical. What knowledge do you hide from me, he had wanted to ask again. Rasa held this back, though.

"It's quite impressive you've learned so much jumping from village to village. You really should be careful who you show your skills off to," Rasa said, a smirk once again appearing. "Someone may try to keep you to themselves."

Before Sakura could retort, a little black book was plopped onto the desk by him. He sighed while crossing his arms, leaning more comfortably back into his chair. She recognized the old book with ease.

' _Bingo Book,_ ' she thought.

"I did not find you in this book. Though, I only have the ones of the regions close by."

"I am not a runaway!" Sakura exclaimed, anger getting the better of her suddenly.

It was evident all the more to her now that Rasa tried to find fault in her. A reason to keep her locked up, and behind bars. As twisted as it sounded, she began regretting bringing Gaara back here. She needed a way to be free outside of these walls.

"Whether you are or you are not, doesn't matter to me at the moment. If you give me a reason, I can dig deeper for information on you. It's only a message away to other villages, asking if they're missing a pink-haired woman."

' _A reason?_ ' Sakura wondered.

"However, I think you would make a proper _citizen_ here, and my council has agreed to my proposal with you."

As Rasa's stoic gaze met with her confused look, Sakura suddenly had a sinking feeling.

"...And I've already talked to the _boy_ about it."

That sinking feeling grew, and Sakura's gaze suddenly looked passed him as she realized how he was beating around the bush with his words.

"Never have I met another, besides myself, able to break through Gaara's defenses. Again, I question where your skills were taught through your travels."

Sakura gulped, shock kept her from speaking out, but she listened closely. For her, she already knew what he was going to say to her.

' _He won't let_ _you_ _go,_ ' her mind whispered.

He gave her a moment, poring over her aghast expression, and giving her an opportunity to elaborate more on where her teachings came from, or where she herself was truly from. He decided it did not matter at the moment when no words came from her. He had so much other business to take care of.

"But I find you much too valuable to let you go just yet. With everyone all the more fearful of the boy, I don't feel obligated to force anyone from here to become his new caretaker."

A fear from long ago suddenly resurfaced inside the rosette. Not one of being kept against her will, or being ask of something she did not want, but instead of one when she first looked at Gaara's cold eyes. The young man of her past, the one who threatened her as she stood against him for Sasuke suddenly came to mind. The fear she had of him then, of his sand tearing her limb from limb, was suddenly back. Though she feared nothing of the older Gaara she knew now, only his reprimand as Kazekage, his young self was a different story.

Now, here she was again, thrown back into what felt like the almost same scenario. She was stronger now, yes. She could break his sand with her fists now, probably. He was still just a child, indeed. Yet, something inside of her cried against this.

' _This can't even be an option for me,_ ' Sakura thought. ' _I have to find a way back home. I have to…_ '

Her thoughts came to an abrupt stop. She had to what, exactly? What direction was she suppose to take now to getting back home? With time, she had hoped an answer would come to her, yet she again searched for someone to give her direction like others had done in the past. Strong, and independent as she wanted to be, she still had trouble taking the lead. Her eyes slowly trailed from his desk and back up to Rasa's eyes where he took in her dismayed state. He looked at her ever so curiously, like he was unsure whether she was a gift, or a trap to him.

"You want me to be Gaara's new caretaker?" she whispered.

Rasa nodded once.

' _New?_ ' she thought.

"His old one…? she asked.

"Dead."

Again, that fear built up inside of her. Those dangerous eyes appeared in her mind. Eyes of the Ichibi.

' _He is a child,_ ' she tried to reason with herself. ' _I know Gaara! He is not the monster everyone claims. He will be a great leader someday!_ '

Still, a forbidden question came from her lips.

"How?"

When no answer came, and silence filled the room, her eyes went back again to Rasa's. His cold stare said it all, and Sakura felt her breath leave her. The rosette thought of herself naive, thinking the answer could be anything else besides Gaara. That's when she stood, shoving her hands against the Kazekage's desk.

"No!" she cried, trying to hold back her uneasiness. "I cannot. I will not stay here just so it pleases you! I have-!"

Cutting her off, Rasa's voice grew alongside hers. Again, his eyes lit up curiously towards her.

"You have what, traveler? Is there something you seek in another village? Are you searching for something, or someone? Is this why you claim to travel the world?"

She looked at him, understanding why his eyes lit up every time she threatened to say more. Not only was he anxious to call her out on her lie, he also wanted to hear all the information she had. Just like his son's secret to the outside, perhaps she had learned much more during her _travels_. Maybe she could in time become an ace up his sleeve so to speak, and as she realized this, she quickly fell silent.

"I can help you," Rasa tried to usher her to speak again. "If you stay here, become Gaara's caretaker, I can help you with whatever it is you're looking for."

Now, here was the chance she was hoping for. However, could this Kazekage truly help her find a way back home to her time, or was he just saying what she wanted to hear?

"Help me, and down the line I can help you."

Sakura's eyes wavered in front of her. Could he? Did she really have any other options?

"What if I refuse? Why do people treat your son like he is dangerous?" Sakura whispered.

Rasa stared at her for some time, pondering what to tell her. With her knowledge of the Ichibi inside of Gaara, the Fourth assumed her to already know of the boy's erratic mood swings. However, he found it foolish of himself to assume such a thing, and was happy some rumors did not find the cracks in his walls.

"Because he _is_ dangerous," Rasa said. "But with you watching him, there's an opportunity of stopping his sand from hurting others. Something his last caretaker could not even do."

Sakura blinked rapidly, trying to understand this new, and young Gaara.

' _He attacks at random?_ ' Sakura thought, a little unbelieving he would do that much at this young age.

Her eyes went down to her fists, and she clenched them hard. Would her hands really be enough if Gaara suddenly decided to lash out?

"Sakura." Rasa spoke, earning to young woman's look. "You know I won't let you leave. Not anytime soon at least."

Sakura felt herself wanting to fume at his words, to explain to him he had very little power over her to say such a thing. And yet, her anger did not rise. He was right with his words; she knew since earlier that he wasn't about to let her leave his village. She at least had to be grateful for his blunt, and honest speech.

"You can either stay as a prisoner, or as a _temporary_ citizen," Rasa continued, his voice still stoic. "Become the boy's caretaker, and all your needs and requirements will be met by me. Make sure Gaara doesn't hurt others and, in time, I will help you."

Sakura blinked at him, taking in his words while battling what to do in her mind. When Rasa recognized her pride trying to get the best of her, he spoke again.

"Help me, and I will help you."

Sakura bit her lip, did she really have a choice? Besides, the promise of him helping her in the end was the only thing she could go by at the moment to get herself back home.

' _It's temporary,_ ' she reminded herself. ' _Taking care of Gaara means your freedom in_ _side_ _these walls. You'll have time now to think of another plan if you need to._ _There has to be information you can get your hands on somewhere..._ '

Sakura's sigh was heavy, for she hated to accept his offer, but found no other way at the moment. Before she could even agree to him, he rose from his spot, and strolled over towards his office door.

"I'll take you to him, now."

' _All business,_ ' Sakura thought, picking up her feet to catch up with him.

In a sense, she liked that this Kazekage was no time waster. However, as he showed her through the village, destruction all around her, she had to remember deep down that she was his prisoner.

' _He cares nothing for_ _my sake,_ ' she reminded herself. ' _He is not a good man._ '

They walked on in silence, to which Sakura was grateful for. It gave her time to take in the debris around her, to once again witness and try to understand the Ichibi's power. The sun had set, and twinkling stars were beginning to appear. She also took the moment to think of a new plan, to consider even running from him now. Yet somehow, as the two continued their brisk walk to his home, she knew there were many eyes on the two of them. His men had to be on guard with her so close by.

After all, she was still a mystery to them.

Silence was all the welcoming for her until they actually entered his home. The giant, mansion-like home was outwardly the same as she knew it from her time. Never being inside though, she wondered what changes there were between then, and now. It was also that moment, as he beckoned her up many flights of stairs, did she remember what she was appointed to be.

' _Gaara's caretaker._ '

Rasa had mentioned speaking already to Gaara about this. Did this mean Gaara would behave? She wasn't sure what to expect. She kept on thinking of all the Gaaras she knew. He was a calm, collected leader who, as a teenager, threatened to kill her, with predatory eyes. Which Gaara would this child be like? That question made her panic on the inside.

Rasa's silence this whole time taught her nothing. All he had said to her was to make sure Gaara did not harm others. Was that really all she was asked to do? Somehow she doubted that. And what of Gaara's life? Rasa had mentioned nothing of making sure that no harm came Gaara's way.

She suddenly opened her mouth once they reached the top floor, wanting to ask Rasa what more of her duties there was. As they walked through the long hallway, towards the only door at the end, she found herself voiceless, her heart racing suddenly.

' _I don't think I can do this,_ ' she thought, but still followed his steps.

"Do not run from him. Ever," Rasa spoke as he reached for the door. "If you run, he will chase you."

Sakura wasn't even given a second to dwell on that thought or ask the Fourth what he meant before he opened the door. Leading the way in, the rosette stepped into the bright, yellow room with one last thought to herself.

' _I don't know how to care for a child.'_

She was blinded by the brightness in the room. Everything was quiet as she stepped next to the Kazekage's frame, trying to refocus her vision. When that came to, her eyes immediately swept over the contrast of the boy's red hair against the bright yellow that was the room. From his hair, her eyes found his, and he stared at her so strongly and coldly that Sakura instinctively took a step back.

"Do not run," Rasa reminded her.

Sakura gulped, unable to tear away from his eyes that seemed to burn deep into her soul. It was fear she was suddenly experiencing, yet she couldn't properly place why she felt this way. Did Gaara suddenly frighten her? His eyes were as she remembered when they were young. Or was this just all the more proof she saw that she was indeed not in her right time? A young Gaara, not the one she knew, had fate decided she had no future in her own time? Was she really about to relive the past again? With these questions, she was quiet.

Perhaps Rasa thought that she was going to speak, to introduce herself to Gaara, for he said nothing for some time as well. He simply studied his son's gaze that was set on this new stranger in both their lives. Innocently enough, he sat on the only bed provided in this very large room, a teddy bear in hand. New, of course, it had been one of the first things Gaara had asked the nurse for once he was able to. And like always, father had provided. Of course he had already discussed the new caregiver to his son. Gaara had been quiet about it the whole time, and still he had yet to speak or say anything to Rasa since his return. Not that Rasa needed the boy's approval anyway. However, a smirk found Rasa at the image that would come to be as soon as Gaara would learn that Sakura had the strength to break through his defenses.

When minutes came and went, Rasa finally broke the silence.

"Behave yourself, boy."

With that, he turned and left his son, and new villager, alone. He had so many important things to plan on, that the two never crossed his mind again that night.

Long minutes, and Sakura knew she still had so much more to ask of the Kazekage. Where was she expected to sleep? Was Gaara's room to accommodate her as well? Though big enough, she shivered at the idea of being alone with this child, and his deadly stare. How was she to watch a child who never slept? Just because he didn't did not mean Sakura could do the same.

Yet, Rasa left her before she could find the strength to ask, still stuck inside Gaara's gaze while many questions piled on. It didn't take long for her head to suddenly pound, her then knees trembled, and eyes became hot the more she thought how her life was going to be from this point on.

' _I have to find a way home!_ ' she screamed in her mind. ' _This cannot be real! This can't be! This has to be some sort of nightmare!_ '

Her eyes never left his, but as Sakura slowly brought her hands up, forming a seal, Gaara's eyes immediately left hers to stare at her fingers. The cold stare he had was now gone, and instead his eyes went round to her notion. His nose flared dangerously, and his breath became loud. It was his turn to fear her for he was still too young, and still too unsure of this stranger, to understand what she was doing, or if it was a means to harm him.

"Kai," Sakura whispered.

When Gaara's anxious, and confused face was what she continued to see, she felt her eyes burn all the more. She could taste her tears as she spoke a little more loudly.

"Kai."

Still nothing. It dawned on the rosette now, how far Konoha truly was from her. Her friends, her family, while still here and still alive, were not the ones she was familiar with. She found herself alone in this confusing situation, scared that she may remain this way the rest of her life.

"Kai!" she cried.

Gaara still had not moved from his spot, instead he clutched his bear a little more tightly as he tried to silently understand Sakura's seal. Through her tears, she could still see his back heaving from his loud breaths, and his nose flaring. His eyes swam around her, anxiety and confusion pooling inside of them. In his mind, a voice was telling him to lash out, to stop her, that she was there to harm him just like the last.

When Sakura's vision became blurry because of her tears, not her technique, she slowly slid her knees to the cold floor. The events of all that transpired today finally catching up with her. She no longer cared who she shared this room with tonight, instead she spent it laying on the cold, hard ground while tears painted her face.

She felt sorry for no one but herself.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beta'd by [**Errihu**](https://archiveofourown.org/users/errihu/pseuds/errihu).

Sakura squirmed in her spot, curling herself tighter into a human ball when she realized how cold, and hard, the ground under her was. It was that movement, that shuffle after long hours of sleep, that made her arms and legs ache and cramp up slightly. To the pain, she hissed and knew that sleep now left her completely. She forced her eyes open, gasping and shooting herself into a sitting position when she realized she was in unfamiliar territory.

She stared at the empty bed behind her, the ugly, yellow walls surrounding her like a prison, and the mountain of toys and objects that littered the floor around her. She stared and blinked at the items, her memories of yesterday rushing back into her mind. In her head, she could hear many voices, both familiar and new, and it made her head spin trying to take in all that was told of her yesterday.

" _Gaara's caretaker._ "

" _He kill_ _s whoever he wants_ _._ "

" _The Ichibi_ _rampaged through the village_ _._ "

" _He killed our mother._ "

" _The_ _ruins around us was Gaara's doing_ _._ "

" _There's a monster inside his head._ "

" _..._ _Back in time._ "

" _Far from home._ "

" _I can help you with whatever it is you're looking for._ "

" _What secrets do you hold?_ "

" _Father's favorite._ "

" _Because he is dangerous._ "

" _You know I won't let you leave._ "

" _Then I could be father's favorite._ "

" _Do not run from him._ "

" _I wish he would have died._ "

" _If you run, he will chase you._ "

Now she remembered.

A cold sweat broke out on her, and her breathing was heavy. She remembered who this stranger's room belonged to, knew the sun that shone through the windows was lingering above her in a new village. She remembered what had been asked of her, what she was expected to do; and of course, she remembered how all wrong this was. How time was now playing a sick joke on her. She couldn't remember when she had fallen asleep yesterday, but cursed when she realized all of this had not just been some tormenting nightmare.

She really was lost in the past.

To that panic, that anxiety, she did not care who heard her. She did not even second think it as she opened her mouth. A deafening scream left her body, and she carried it as loud and as long as her lungs allowed her. If able, she would have carried that sound on for hours, for she was frustrated, scared, and all alone. However, her breath only allowed her a few seconds, and after that time she simply sat there, wide-eyed and heaving for the breath she just let out.

To the scream, the few minutes to herself, she felt her anxiety begin to slowly leave her. This dread hadn't been with her yesterday until coming into this room, and she knew she couldn't allow herself to succumb to madness despite the unreal situation she was in.

"It's just some jutsu," she told herself. "Just go along with it. You're smart, you have your ways."

She clenched her fists tight, refusing to let tears fall from her many emotions.

"You can do this. You can find your way out of this."

Determination. She was not weak; she didn't need to hide behind someone while they searched for her answers. She had grown, become strong, she would figure this out somehow. So with that, she stood tall. Even if her knees shook, even if her mind was fuzzy, even if her body ached for sleep still, she stood herself tall and proud. For she was Sakura.

She glanced around the room, trying to familiarize herself with it, and also trying to spot the redhead she was tasked with taking care of.

"My skills and medical knowledge have led me to be a permanent babysitter," Sakura said with a bit of humor.

In truth though, she thought the position to be a slap in the face. Bitter as she was towards this Rasa guy for keeping her, it seemed now to grow knowing he tasked her far away from the hospital. Then again, he had his secrets of his own to keep from her, much like she did with him, and wondered if he placed her far away for that reason. Or maybe he spoke the truth when he mentioned she was one of the rare few able to crack Gaara's defense. Was the child truly that bent on attacking people? Was she really going to have to stand between him and others?

Again, she glanced around the room, sensing no one, including the child. In her mind, she pictured him differently than the Gaara she knew. She was familiar of a young man, a proud leader, one who would cause no harm to those close to him, including his villagers. Yet, now she was being told she had to be the one to stop him from doing such acts. It was odd to process that thought completely, she felt conflicted.

' _He did seem like that type of_ _cold_ _person at the exams._ '

She tried not to dwell so much on those memories, for she didn't want to believe this child was as crazy as his teen self had been.

' _He's just a kid,_ ' she kept telling herself. ' _Most k_ _ids are pure. Innocent._ '

An image of young Temari appeared in her mind, speaking the words she told Sakura yesterday.

" _He killed our mother._ "

"Right?" she asked herself one more time before walking towards one of the many round windows.

She stared at the bright sun, and clear blue sky before looking down at the village below her. She could see ruins, but above that, people still continued their business like she expected every village to. A little more desolate than what she was use to seeing in her home, but nonetheless, people walked the streets and ran their shops despite the destruction around them. There was definitely more cleaning up to do though. She took another glance at the sun, noticing how high it was in the sky. She had slept well into the afternoon.

To that fact she again peeked and looked around the room. She could see and sense no one still.

"Hello?" she called out.

Nothing answered her back, and the deafening silence was both a blessing, and a curse, in her mind. Blessing, for perhaps the child had gone out to do his own thing, and she needn't worry about him until his return. A curse, for she wasn't sure if he was actually allowed out on his own, she was unsure if she would be reprimanded later, or not, for this. To these contradictory thoughts, Sakura grimaced when she remembered her skills at hand.

"I do not know how to care for a child."

She had never been asked to watch anyone's kid, never tasked to play the role of babysitter until now. She definitely was at a loss, not even the closest of her friends had a child of their own yet she could familiarize with. It was odd to think, but she felt like a new mother. In her mind, it was Gaara's older image that kept coming to her, and inwardly she told herself he was free to do as he wanted. However, when she remembered the child she was to be watching, she wasn't sure how much freedom he was allowed.

Sakura groaned the more she thought about it, and soon scrambled her hands through her hair.

"I don't care!" she finally admitted. "I just need to find a way out of here."

Finally, she was given a reply. An answer she wasn't exactly looking for, though it carried loudly within the room. Her stomach called with need, and Sakura blushed at its loud cry before placing a hand on it. Late into the day as it was, she finally realized Gaara had probably gone looking for his breakfast long before she woke up. To that thought, a starving child, the young woman chuckled to herself.

"I _really_ don't know how to take care of a kid."

Her needs were usually ones that came first if allowed, and she thought nothing more of Gaara before walking out of the giant room and down the flight of stairs. As she walked, she studied what the home contained, but was surprised to find it simple, and with many closed doors. She wasn't even sure if her direction was leading her to the kitchen, and she was even more surprised to find the place completely empty.

That, or they hid behind those doors, and secret rooms.

At the bottom of the house, her feet met with marble floors instead of red carpet, and she cocked her head at the extravagant look.

"Nothing is too much for a lord's home," Sakura whispered while staring at the floor.

Economically, Sunagakure was always struggling, and she thought the tribulation even more prominent during this time in the past. At least, that was what she assumed, or had read somewhere in her youth. Other villages and their ordeals weren't taught much in her class. The only worries and troubles that were embedded into their young minds was of their home ones. Of course down the line, when peace was finally achieved, the allies' problems became everyone's. That didn't mean Sakura took the new revelation to the extreme, and sat to learn of each village's struggling past. She merely assumed. Assumed this grand home and its structure did not represent all of Suna, for the land out there did not look as flourished as inside this home.

To this, more distaste for this Rasa grew, and she narrowed her eyes at the beautiful floor. The urge to drag her boot across the marble and scuff it grew, but she turned away from the idea when she remembered it would be another's duty to clean up after her. Whoever that someone would be hadn't earned her dislike, so she instead walked towards an open-way, hoping this led to a kitchen.

At first sight, her eyes caught a fridge, and she was happy her instinct hadn't led her astray. At a second glance, she realized she wasn't alone in this room. Two young kids, who hadn't noticed her presence yet, were currently scrambling to reach the top of the fridge. A young boy, face red, was using all of his strength to hold and balance the taller, blonde girl on top of his shoulders. She was reaching for a jar, but her stretched arms were still too short.

"Hold still, Kankuro," the girl chastised, kicking him lightly on the head.

"I am!" the boy whined. "You're too heavy, Temari!"

It was an odd sight for Sakura, for she still hadn't grown accustomed, nor did she think she ever would, that those older than her were now somehow younger. She stepped more into the kitchen, and finally the young boy took notice of her. His eyes grew wide, and with worry much like he looked at her yesterday, perhaps he feared an adult's reprimand, and he stuttered at his sister.

"T-T-Temari..."

The girl paid no heed, still reaching for the jar.

"Be quiet, Kankuro. Obaasan will hear you," Temari warned. "Lift me higher!"

To this, Sakura finally brought herself closer to the two and reached over the kids, pulling the jar off the fridge, and towards herself.

"What is it you two want so bad?" Sakura asked, unscrewing the small jar in her hand.

Sakura stopped though when Kankuro yelped lightly to her closeness. She watched in surprise as the boy jumped back in his spot, dropping his sister to the floor before running out of the kitchen and far away from the two females. The fall had been small, but Sakura still bent down towards Temari.

"Are you alright?" Sakura asked, watching the young girl rub her bottom before growling.

The annoyance was evident in Temari, for she narrowed her eyes where Kankuro had run off to before following suit.

"Kankuro, you idiot! That hurt!" she called after him before disappearing out of the kitchen.

Sakura couldn't help but smile lightly. The kids themselves were comical, but to the thought of it being Temari and Kankuro, two ninjas she knew to be extremely disciplined, the whole show was funnier than she expected. She turned back to the jar in her hand, unscrewing it before looking at the contents inside.

"Oh," Sakura said to herself. "It's just cookies."

Innocent, though not to the eyes of naughty children, and Sakura wondered if that had been the reason why Kankuro ran off. She thought of the two, and where Temari seemed to emit, and carry the confidence that was noticeable in her older self even now, Kankuro was opposite.

' _He seems really timid,_ ' Sakura thought, staring still at the jar in her hand.

Only did she lift her head up when a new voice entered the kitchen. It had caught her by surprise, and her eyes whipped to that of a young brunette haired woman.

"I was wondering when you were going to come down for the meals!"

The girl held a large smile, and she carried it all the way while she strolled over to Sakura. The rosette simply stared, trying in her mind to grasp at a familiar picture from her memories that was this woman. She tried to find a name for her, but only drew a blank. Sakura did not recognize her.

To Sakura's silence, the young girl's face contorted slightly.

"You are the new caregiver, aren't you?" the girl gave a small chuckle. "The house has been buzzing about you like bee's all morning."

Sakura shook off her thoughts, returning a soft smile of her own to the young woman. For the rosette, she knew this was a new person in her life, the reason she had no name for her, and was a little relieved to be welcomed with a genuine smile finally. Still, she was surprised she was the gossip of the hour.

"I suppose that is me," Sakura said.

The young woman nodded at Sakura before pulling out a pan and some ingredients.

"The meals I prepared are cold now, let me make you something new and warm."

Sakura opened her mouth, about to protest that she could do so herself, but the quirky girl beat her to the punch.

"My name is Annaisha."

"Sakura."

There was a nod between the two as they locked eyes.

"It's a pleasure, Sakura-sama."

Again, Sakura opened her mouth to speak, to object to this girl that she not label her so highly, but again she was beaten by the brunette.

"I'm one of the cooks here. I'm new too! I started about a week ago," the girl smiled towards the pot under her. "Though… I'm not the best. I'm still trying to improve my culinary skills! Please, be patient with me!"

Sakura watched the young girl spin the ladle in her hand as if it were a weapon, she made a few swooping noises of her own before returning the spoon to the pot. Taking in more of the woman's appearance, she didn't think the girl any older than sixteen. It baffled Sakura a little, why Rasa would bring in someone so young, and inexperienced like she claimed to be. Surely as Kazekage he had better pickings. Still, the girl was kind to her and prepared her a meal, she was alright in Sakura's book, so she complimented the girl.

"Kazekage-sama must see talent in you to bring you into his home."

To her words, Annaisha let out a hearty laugh.

"No way! I think he just took pity on me."

Sakura's eyes went wide for a moment, surprised to hear this. She couldn't help from asking.

"What do you mean?"

"All I had was my mother growing up. She was taken away from me, and Kazekage-sama was kind enough to let me work in his home. He said he didn't mind, just as long as it doesn't get in the way of my ninja training! With my mother gone, he gave me a way of my earnings. He is such a good man."

Again, Sakura's eyes flinched. She was surprised the man she labeled evil in her heart was praised by this warm girl, and also from learning the fate of Annaisha's mother. She stared at the brunette's back, letting silence fall before asking again.

"When you say your mother was taken away from you, do you mean she was kidnapped, or-"

"Killed," Annaisha finished for her.

Sakura frowned, somewhere in the back of her mind she knew the answer might be just that.

"I'm so sorry," Sakura whispered.

Silence again. The quirkiness the girl had brought into the room had suddenly disappeared, and Sakura simply stared at Annaisha's back while she continued to cook. The pain evidently was still fresh.

' _Then again,_ ' Sakura thought, ' _losing one's mother is_ _probably_ _a wound that never heals._ '

Grateful Sakura now was, for even though she was lost in time, she was content on the thought of her mother still alive in her own world. She let thoughts swim back to her parents until Annaisha began pouring the contents of her cooking into two bowls, finally speaking up with her back still turned to Sakura.

"You're brave, Sakura-sama."

Sakura watched as the girl brought the dishes over to her.

"To do what you are doing. I can't imagine what hardships you'll endure."

Sakura tried to catch the young woman's look with her own eyes, yet the girl still looked towards the bowls, lost in thought.

"Let's just do our best here," Annaisha finished.

Sakura was silent, letting the girl silently sulk in her own way. Sakura instead turned to the bowls, she studied the hot rice porridge in them before looking back up at Annaisha.

"I only need one bowl," Sakura said, earning Annaisha's surprised look. "I'm not hungry enough for two."

Sakura worried she had suddenly said something wrong since the girl now looked at her with confusion. She gaped for a moment before speaking.

"T-The other one is for _him_."

' _That's right,_ ' Sakura reminded herself. ' _Children have to eat too._ '

Sakura quickly shook her head, surprised she was already slipping up at her job.

"Sorry. I'm just tired. Thank you for the meals."

As Sakura began reaching for the bowls, Annaisha spoke.

"No problem! It's my job. I usually prepare the food early morning, but I've heard that your routine might be a little off from the rest of us...like today. At least, that's what they say it was like for the last caregiver."

To this information, Sakura's hearing picked up a little. The rosette set the food back on the table before turning once more to Annaisha.

"You'll be preparing our meals?" Sakura asked, a little surprise of all the help that was in this home.

Annaisha grinned, playing with the ladle in her hand still.

"Of course! There's a lot of help here. I make meals, others do cleaning, someone will do your clothes. Those sort of things."

Sakura's eyes widened, she didn't realize how much would be done for her, and her first instinct was to accept none of it. She was an adult, she could take care of herself. So, with this information learned, the young woman let out a small chuckle.

"Makes my job seem simple."

Another chuckle, but that laughter stopped when her eyes met with Annaisha's wide stricken ones. Her jaw as well, had dropped some, and to that look Sakura knew she had said the wrong thing again. In her whisper, it was obvious the new girl was thinking just that.

"Sakura-sama… You are wrong."

Sakura could only turn away from Annaisha's questioning look, and there was silence between them before the young girl whispered again.

"Are you from here? Do you even know…?"

Sakura turned her head quickly then, opening her mouth to answer that she was, and did know about Gaara. Well, an older Gaara truthfully, still she didn't want the girl to question or be suspicious of her. However, before to peep could even be heard, a wailing scream filled the entire floor. It was a child's cry, and while Sakura flinched and panicked to the sound, Annaisha simply winced before chuckling.

"The princess is upset again."

Sakura didn't have a moment to question as Annaisha walked past her and began cleaning up after her.

"You should go before the food gets cold."

The screams of a child were still filling their ears as Sakura reached for the bowls of food.

"Thank you!" Sakura cried over the wails.

Annaisha smiled to Sakura before picking up the giant pot, and carrying it away.

"Just be careful, Sakura-sama!" Her voice was pitched loud so Sakura could hear her. "I don't know if anyone told you, but you're not suppose to run from him! He'll chase you if you run!"

Sakura watched Annaisha disappear, wondering why more were warning her of this. Was this some sort of instinct of Gaara's? Did people fear him and run away from a child? Would he chase them? Or was this some sort of metaphor? Maybe they were secretly telling her not to be afraid, or to not show Gaara fear. To that thought, she eyed the bowl of porridge in her hand before looking up at the jar of cookies from before.

' _I have nothing against Gaara. He hasn't harmed me in years. He will be a good Kazekage some day, a good friend of Naruto's. I have nothing to fear, especially when he is just a child,_ ' Sakura thought.

Reaching for the cookies, Sakura pulled a few out. It would be her apology to Gaara once she saw him for missing his breakfast, and she hoped it be some sort of leeway to have him behave with her. Hands full of food, she exited the kitchen and back to the main hall. Once again, her eyes were caught by Temari and Kankuro in the middle of the room. The young girl was currently screaming and crying, flailing about on the beautiful marble floor. Kankuro looked down at her, his eyes full of uncertainty as he too bridged between crying, and not. There was another who looked down at Temari, an old woman that Sakura did not recognize, and from her gaze the rosette knew the woman was not keen at Temari's display.

"I can stand here all day, Temari-sama!" the old woman huffed. "Your father will be upset once I tell him you disobeyed!"

Her voice was lost to Temari's screams and wails, and Sakura winced more when that sound became louder in her ears. Sakura drew close to the old woman, looking down at Temari too in wonder. Perhaps there was an understanding between the two women, for neither introduced themselves, just instead standing there, and waiting for the screaming child to stop.

"Did she hurt herself?" Sakura asked the woman, her voice loud so she could be heard.

The old woman shook her head, frown heavy.

"She wants to wear her hair down. I cannot let her."

It was Sakura's turn to grimace. This small tantrum was simply caused by a hair style? Again, it confused Sakura, and she remembered how she knew very little of children.

"She seems really upset," Sakura commented, noting how Temari was still not tiring from her screams. "Maybe you should just let her wear it down."

The old woman sighed.

"Kazekage-sama has asked that I start putting her hair up," the old lady spoke angrily.

Sakura's frown intensified, it was an odd order.

"And why's that?" Sakura asked.

"She has a resemblance to her uncle that Kazekage-sama finds worrisome."

Now Sakura turned to the old lady in confusion, even a little shocked. Was this woman serious? _That_ was the reason for this child's distaste? This was why Temari couldn't let her hair down? Because her father saw her uncle in her? It baffled Sakura. Of course the appearance was to be similar, they were family. Sakura couldn't help herself from voicing her opinion.

"That's ridiculous! So what if she looks like him? Is it really that terrible of a crime that she cannot longer wear her hair down?"

The old woman's head and eyes turned to Sakura. She studied the rosette's stern look before replying in a low voice.

"Kazekage-sama asks of this, for he fears if Gaara-sama see's her as his uncle, then it may trigger something within the boy."

Sakura's eyes were wide and questioning. She hoped the old lady would explain more, like how his uncle's appearance made Gaara upset, or what sort of triggering this woman meant. Would Gaara simply be disgusted? Or would he lash out? Was his uncle evil, is that why Rasa did not want Temari to resemble him? How could the child not grasp the concept that Temari was her own individual, not her uncle? Perhaps, Sakura could speak to Gaara about this, shed some light onto the situation. Because of him, through Temari's evident crying, she was forced to go through things she did not want for his sake.

' _Your concerns are misplaced,_ ' something in the back of her mind told her. ' _You should be finding a way home, not enlightening children. These things have come to past already, let them be._ '

It was the old woman's voice again that drew Sakura away from her mind, and again her eyes went round in surprise.

"This is also why we paint Kankuro-sama's face. The resemblance he shares with his father is something we do not want _him_ to see."

Her eyes then turned towards Kankuro, seeing the familiar purple stripes fresh on his young face. To this sight, Sakura's stomach flipped. Their signature looks, the paint and hair, the very things Sakura was familiar with of these two siblings had been something started against their will? This was all for the sake to keep Gaara content?

' _It should be enough that they are siblings to hold Gaara back,_ ' Sakura thought sadly.

She wanted to believe the looks that the two older siblings wore into battle had been a concept of their own, that this was what they wanted their enemies to dread upon seeing. Instead, these signatures looks had been misconstrued. They were simply a means to keep the children safe should they cross paths of their youngest brother. Sakura was now learning that something in Rasa, and Gaara's uncle, made the youngest sibling anxious. Those thoughts drove all the more into her to ask Gaara why this was, and to remind him his siblings meant him no harm. Yet still, her mind told her to hold back.

' _He figured it already on his own._ ' She kept reminding herself.

She wanted to reassure the crying child in front of her. To ask her to dry her tears and smile, for these were her years to do so. Sakura leaned down towards the young girl, wishing she could say these comforting things, but held back for the sake of her father's wishes. The rosette also didn't want to be the cause of triggering something inside of Gaara should he see Temari with her hair down.

' _There's a lot I don't understand,_ ' Sakura thought. ' _Should I even bother to? What's the point? This is all in the past…_ '

Despite that thinking, that her reasoning's were pointless, Sakura still fell to one knee and offered a cookie to the crying girl. Immediately the tears stopped, and Temari sniffled and bubbled while staring back and forth between the small treat, and Sakura.

"Here," Sakura nudged the dessert again. "If I give you this, can you wear your hair up for us?"

Again, she wasn't sure why she was doing this. She knew there was no benefit to helping those who had already been helped, or moved on from the problem; but for whatever reason, she wanted to comfort the young one in front of her. Maybe it was because in the future they were allies, maybe that was the reason Sakura set to please.

To her question, Temari's eyes began to swell with water again, and her face fell red while trying to hold back her tears to speak.

"I-I-I don't want to!" she cried. "It's too tight! It hurts my head!"

A loud scream erupted again, and Sakura flinched being so close to the source of it.

"What if I put it up in a ponytail?!" Sakura spoke over the girl.  
"I promise it won't hurt. I'll make it look very pretty."

The tears ceased and Temari mulled over Sakura's offer. Her young eyes eyed the cookie before she pathetically whimpered, and nodded at Sakura. The rosette smiled warmly before turning back to the old lady.

"Ponytail is alright?" she asked, reaching for the tie in the lady's hand.

"Anything," The old woman sighed. "As long as it's up."

Sakura handed off the cookie to Temari's greedy hands before scooting behind her and reaching for her hair. The young girl whined some as the rosette worked, but kept mostly silent as she continued to chew on her treat.

"Alright," Sakura said in no time. "Stand up, let's see."

Sakura smiled as Temari stood and turned towards her. With her short hair, Sakura had made the ponytail high up, and was reminded somewhat of Shikamaru's own hair style.

"Looks cute," Sakura said before winking.

"Thank you..." Temari mumbled, her voice soft and eyes on the floor as she walked to stand by the old lady.

The old lady let out a heavy sigh, as if the whole ordeal had been ever so draining, before reaching for Temari's hand.

"Temari-sama, Kankuro-sama, let's go finish your work. We have a lot to do today."

The old lady said nothing more to Sakura before turning and walking away with Temari in hand. In her mind, as Sakura watched them waltz away, she continued to wonder why Rasa had asked of his children to conceal themselves from Gaara. It still baffled her lightly, and she sat on the marble floor in wonder. However, her thoughts vanished while Kankuro sheepishly walked past her and, followed for his sister and caregiver.

"Hey," Sakura said, her voice so soft that she was surprised to see Kankuro jump to her call.

She had only seen him, and his sister, so briefly at this age, but already she guessed this boy to be bashful and reserved. Something Sakura was surprised to see, for his older self was quite opposite.

Kankuro turned to her, eyes full of worry, and steps ready to race from her should he feel the need. Because of this, Sakura was quiet, studying him for a few moments and wondering at what point in life did this demeanor change, or what in fact had made this child so afraid. Was it her alone? Was it because she was new to his life? Or perhaps he feared most adults. To her silent stare, she could see the young boy begin to tremble lightly, and she spoke before he ran from her in some misplaced fear.

"Here," Sakura said, offering a cookie to him this time.

His eyes still wavered, he still held fear and didn't reach for the sweet. So, Sakura put on her warmest smile.

"I like the paint on your face. Makes you look strong. I bet you scare a lot of bad guys away!"

It was a success, and Sakura's smile grew when she saw the boy's smile turn into a shy chuckle. Now instead of worry, there was wonderment in his eyes, and he took the cookie from Sakura before the old lady called out to him.

"Kankuro-sama, come!"

He turned hastily from Sakura and ran down the marble hall, and she continued to sit even long after the three had disappeared.

' _Children are strange,_ ' was Sakura's thinking, all that she got out from this small ordeal. ' _I do not understand them._ '

Her eyes narrowed when she thought of Gaara, how everyone perceived him, and how they would look up to him in the future. She wondered if her role now once belonged to someone else.

' _I do not know how to care for a child._ '

Her last thought before she turned back to the bowls of food on the floor. She stood up and scooped them into her hand, walking back up to the top floor of this giant home.

"I suppose not letting him starve would be a good start," Sakura whispered to herself.

Though, as she entered back into his room, _their_ room she supposed now, the emptiness from before was still heavy in the air. Sakura let out a heavy sigh as she placed the food down on a small table, turning and studying the huge room again.

"Where is he?" she asked herself.

She still wasn't sure where he had wandered off to. Maybe he went looking for food, she thought. She imagined him maybe roving the giant home searching for food. It was a possibility, perhaps she should start her search here. Or perhaps he had ventured outside, to which Sakura wasn't sure if she should scour the streets for him or not. She wasn't sure how much freedom was given to Gaara. Usually children of his age were accompanied with a parent. An unnerving feeling came to her at the thought of Gaara outside. What if he were kidnapped, what if he had run away again, she knew she would be in trouble then.

What if he was out there hurting people? That idea made Sakura's stomach sink. It was without a doubt her responsibility to keep him from harming others. This was truly all the Kazekage had asked of her. What if she was already failing?

Worry came to her, and she quickly marched towards the door to see if there was any new commotion outside. However, a faint sound hit her ears as she reached for the handle, and she stopped dead in her tracks to the familiar noise. She paused in her steps, ears straining to hear that sound again. Minutes would pass before the sickly noise faintly echoed in the room again, and her head whipped immediately towards another door within the room.

She wasted no time making her way over to it, opening the new door that led into a small bathroom. That discovery fell however when she caught herself staring down at the little boy sitting in there. His breathing was heavy, and his eyes were shut closed as he rested his back against the cool acrylic of the bath.

"Gaara," Sakura whispered.

Her presence must have gone unnoticed from her entering, for his eyes opened fast and narrowed towards the rosette in front of him before she even finished saying his name

' _Those eyes…_ ' Sakura thought, taking a step back. ' _Just like all those years ago…_ '

It was sad to think, upsetting if she could realize right at that moment, that this child still instilled the fear she had of him during their teenage years. She remembered the pain he brought her, the hurt he had done to others, the intent he had of killing her, Sasuke, and everyone dear to her. At that time, his eyes then matched the ones she was looking into now. The fear she held for him once long ago was now resurfacing, and the first instinct that came to her was now pounding into her with every beat of her heart.

Run.

Another step back, and boy's eyes twitched lightly to her movement. Like some sort of predator, he watched and studied her every move, no matter how small.

' _Do not run,_ ' Sakura's mind was saying, reciting words she had been told by others. ' _If you run, he will chase you._ '


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beta'd by [**Errihu**](https://archiveofourown.org/users/errihu/pseuds/errihu).

' _He will chase you._ '

Sakura stared down at the angry eyes of the child.

' _Do not run._ '

It was her mind telling her to stifle her movements. Yet in her heart, there was an urgency to flee. She wanted to run away from this child and his familiar, dangerous eyes, wanted to hide from his cold stare. Her thoughts forbade it though. Her ninja mind spoke familiar words to not run, and also reminded her that she now had strength over this child. She had no reason to fear him like she did during the exams since her fists now were more than enough for his sand. So, remembering all this, her eyes softened. She no longer held hesitation in her orbs, her steps too marched forward without wavering, and it was Gaara's turn to look swayed by her approach.

"What are you doing in here?" Sakura asked, voice as soft as it could be.

She was given nothing. No answer, no movement, no indication that he had even heard her. In fact, her voice only seemed to make the child glare more venomously towards the rosette.

' _I will not run,_ ' Sakura told herself as she stared down at him. ' _I can handle this task on my own._ '

Determination coursed through her now, and she took another step forward. She was about to speak to offer Gaara food, hoping this to calm down the child, but as soon as she opened her mouth Gaara's eyes widened. It was a brief look of panic that Sakura was able to catch before he threw his head and body towards the toilet. Sakura watched him spill his sickness into the porcelain bowl while realizing that this was the ghastly sound she was hearing earlier. To the sight, Sakura's chest clenched. This had been the reason he looked so worn, why he had hid himself in the bathroom.

' _He_ _is_ _sick,_ ' Sakura thought.

As soon as Sakura came to that conclusion, events of yesterday transpired again in her mind. How beaten she had found this Gaara, how dehydrated he surely was, how hot his fever had been. She remembered how Rasa mentioned he had been missing for weeks, and it made perfect sense to her why the child was spewing. Every kid should be kept in the hospital for days over something like this, whereas the Kazekage ordered his return home after he awoke.

Gaara was still battling the effects his small ordeal brought, and as he spat into the bowl, sighing loudly and resting his head and back against the tub with a tired look, Sakura rushed over towards the sink and reached for a small cup. His look and dangerous aura now forgotten, the woman instead filled the small plastic full of water before kneeling next to Gaara. Weak as he probably felt, his head and eyes still whipped towards her the second she knelt to him. His gaze turned thin and stuck on her, even when she nudged the cup towards him again.

"Here," Sakura offered. "You need to drink some water."

Again, her words went past his head and the two simply stared at one another. Sakura was unsure what to say, how to convince him that he should drink and that she meant well. She had no idea what was going through the child's head. So instead, she took in his more than usual pale look, the way his eyes drooped more, the heavy, lethargic breathing, and surprisingly, an unpleasant stench. To the smell, Sakura glanced at Gaara's clothes. Torn and dirty, she noticed then too how greasy his hair looked, how dried blood still stained the side of his head. To this, Sakura's eyes widened and jaw dropped slightly. When her eyes returned to his, she held concern this time.

"They haven't even bathed you…" Words she hadn't meant to say aloud.

For Sakura, that information sunk more into her how much fear everyone had for this child. The medics that came to him after her work was done couldn't even find it in their hearts to clean him, let alone change him into new clothes. Fear had overcome cordiality, and the rosette's heart ached some.

He was just a child.

Or at the very least, if others did not want to touch him, his father should have taken the liberty. That was his duty as a parent, was it not?

Sakura blinked, these thoughts swimming in her mind while her and Gaara's eyes remained locked. She was only torn away from these ideas when an uncomfortable itch began drawing up her back. A foreign feel, and her gaze glanced down and behind her. Eyes widening, she gasped as sand began to slowly snake up her legs, and up her body. She bolted upright, dropping the cup to the floor with water spilling. She swung her body to and fro, sand falling off of her, yet it eerily kept trying to wrap around her, like a possessed vine.

She reminded herself not to panic, that the sand was not yet harming her, and that shaking it off would be easy for her. She spun on her spot, trying to eye when the sand would reach and grab for her, and before she realized it, she noticed that the sand had intentionally backed her out of the lavatory. As soon as she realized this, her eyes fell back to Gaara, and his cold gaze met hers still the same before the sand began to close off the entryway.

"Wait!" Sakura cried, racing back towards him.

The sand had been too quick however, and it now blocked her from entering. To this, Sakura sighed. She understood personal space, would have probably walked away had it been not for the fact the boy on the other side was battling sickness. She worried he would pass out from dehydration if he continued all day long like this.

"Hey!" Sakura cried at the sand, hoping Gaara could hear her on the other side. "I'm not trying to hurt you, I want to help!"

Nothing came from the other side, and she stood there in silence while staring at the thick sand in front of her. She pressed her hand against the grains, testing its durability, and as she thought it was as hard as stone.

"Gaara!" Sakura cried once more. "Please!"

Nothing. Sakura sighed, debating whether to walk away or beg the boy to let her in, or at the very least, ask him to drink water so he would not pass out. A dark image suddenly played in her mind, of one with the boy on the other side fainting, and the Ichibi coming out of his shell. To that thought, Sakura cursed under breath knowing she had to get in. She had people to protect.

"Alright," she growled at the sand wall. "If you won't move, I'll make you."

Sakura cracked her knuckles before drawing in a deep breath. She focused a small amount of chakra into her knuckles and then sent a fist flying at the sand in front of her. She managed a dent in the sand, but eyes narrowed when she could see and hear the grains slithering back up to reconstruct the damage she had made.

' _Again!_ ' she told herself, dealing another heavy blow at the barricade.

The dent grew, and sand now began to fall from the cracks she was creating. Crying out, she threw her hardest punch yet, and was rewarded when the sand in front of her went flying into the air. As she stepped back into the bathroom, she watched as Gaara's face fell from an angry look to downright fear. His bravado from before was now suddenly shattered, like his sand, and he sat frozen in his spot staring wide eyed at Sakura. She had no doubt in her mind now that Gaara didn't expect her to have this power over his absolute defense.

She stared down at him for some time, watching his eyes waver and his body begin to shake lightly. Either from anxiety or sickness, she did not know, and she said nothing as she studied this broken child. Never had one looked at her with so much fear, especially from that of a small one. In a way, it made her feel strong, that even though he was young now, she had been able to turn the tables. Where she once feared Gaara, now it was his turn to be afraid of her power. She knew this pride that was coming forth was severely misplaced, that though Gaara was once the enemy, he was Kazekage in her world. He had brought Naruto to her to save during the war. Without him, there would be no peace in the ninja world she came from.

He was the good guy now.

This child, no matter how others kept trying to paint him in her eyes, was not evil. She should not be getting satisfaction from his fear, he was a child. She was a medic; people did not come to her with the quivering fright this Gaara looked at her now. As she realized this, her hard face let up, and her heart ached once more to the boy in front of her.

Slowly, she drew near to him, mind a little more intent of her surroundings in case the sand decided to lace up her again. She could hear his breathing grow frantic the closer she came, and he held it in in anticipation as she reached a hand down to pick up the fallen cup. She focused her eyes away from him, hoping it would calm him some before returning to the sink and filling the cup with water once more.

"Please, don't do that again," Sakura whispered.

She got no answer, but as she looked back down at Gaara she could see his anxiety melt away. His angry eyes were back on her, but they were a little softer than before. Curiosity is what was in his orbs now, and they followed Sakura all the way as she knelt beside him again, offering him the cup. Like before, he paid it no mind and instead watched the rosette.

"If you don't drink, you're only going to feel worse," Sakura said.

Still, Gaara did not move his body, however, this time he let his eyes fall to the cup in her hand.

"It's alright," Sakura tried again when minutes passed. "I'm not here to hurt you."

Her voice earned her his eyes again.

"I'm a friend," Sakura smiled softly.

She wasn't sure if her words then had been a good or bad thing. His gaze had twitched slightly, and Sakura watched him as he lowered his eyes back at the cup.

"Remember?" she whispered again. "I found you in the desert."

She watched him take in a deep breath, unsure whether he was able to recollect all that happened yesterday. Perhaps he thought her a liar now, still just a stranger. It was more probable what happened yesterday outside the village was lost to him.

"I'm going to take care of you from now on."

To this, she watched as Gaara's body tensed and his eyes grew wide. Again, she was clueless as to what was going on in his mind, if he was perceiving her in a good, or bad light. Were her words comforting, or unsettling to him?

When she realized her talk was getting her nowhere, she took a daring move and brushed the cup against Gaara's hand while he was lost in his thoughts. She expected him to lash out, to swipe the plastic out of her hand. However, she was surprised to see his small hands grip at what she offered. Sakura grinned to this, though she could still see his eyes waver in front of him. It was if he hadn't even realized yet what he had latched onto.

"Gaara," she spoke, trying for his attention again.

Her quiet voice had reached his ears, and he turned his eyes once more back up at her.

"Drink," she mouthed.

Now he realized what he was holding, for he looked back down at the cup in hand. He trembled then, water threatening to spill, but Sakura leaned forward in anticipation when he began to draw the plastic towards his lips. Yet, as soon as the cup touched his mouth, he froze. His eyes were looking once again past the cup to something unknown and far in front of him. Sakura watched as his hands began to tremble and eyes shook. He would still not take the drink he so desperately needed, and as the rosette realized this, how lost in his thoughts he kept becoming, it dawned on her what sort of damage Gaara was now suffering.

' _Not just physical,_ ' she thought, seeing the cup shake in his hold. ' _Psychological too._ '

For a child, it was probably to be expected after being lost in the desert. Yet, Sakura grimaced while staring at his lost eyes and listening to his heavy breaths. Was yesterday's ordeal truly that traumatizing to him, she wondered. Had this emotional scarring come from something else? Someone else? Her frown deepened. Wounds of the body she was taught to heal. Scars of the mind, of the heart, emotionally, she wasn't trained in. She was unsure what to do with the boy in front of her.

' _Perhaps I should mention this to Rasa,_ ' Sakura thought. ' _Gaara needs help._ '

Looking again at his torn clothes, how sick he still was from yesterday, how no one but her had come to him, it made her wonder if Rasa would truly care. Her heart ached again while she reached for the cup Gaara still held.

"It's alright," Sakura whispered.

To her voice and movement, Gaara's eyes whipped back to her. He still held the cup, but he watched as Sakura brought her own hand to wrap around the colorful plastic. She drew closer to him, bringing her own mouth down to the cup before tilting it lightly against her lips, taking a small sip of drink. She looked back down at him after she drank, letting go of the cup that he still had a tight hold on.

"See?" she asked with small smile. "It's alright to drink."

Gaara looked back down at the water. His eyes had narrowed, but his shivering had stopped.

"If you don't drink, you'll only feel worse."

Again she waited on him, watching him still staring at the cup in his hands. Minutes passed once more in silence and small movements, and Sakura opened her mouth to speak again, to reassure him that everything was going to be alright. She shut her mouth quickly though as Gaara finally brought the cup up. He tilted his head back, finally taking a small sip of water. To this, Sakura's smile turned into a grin, though, while he drank, his angry eyes turned towards the side of him and watched her as if he worried she may strike him down while he was preoccupied. Yet, the more he drank, the young woman could see him relish in the taste and feel of fresh water sliding down his dry throat. Soon enough, his desperation to drink all of it down overcame logic, and he threw his head back more trying to get the water down quicker. From that display, small trickles ran down his chin and on to his shirt.

"Not too fast," Sakura said. "You'll choke if you drink too fast."

He paid her no mind, drinking like you would imagine someone lost in the hot desert would. He let out a hearty breath as soon as he was finished, and his eyes narrowed at the empty cup before he shoved the plastic in Sakura's direction. He didn't look back at her, simply staring out in front of him while wiping his wet chin with his hand. Sakura reached for the cup and slid it back into her own hand.

"More," he whispered, harsh and raspy.

Sakura was quick like lightening, to the sink before settling back down next to Gaara. His hand had been much faster this time snatching the cup back from her, and no longer did he need consoling before he downed the water again. Like before, he was desperate in his drinking, trying to take all in as fast as he could, and it didn't take long before he did the same action as before, handing the cup back over to Sakura. He needn't say anything, for the rosette understood what he silently wanted, and was quick still to bring him another cup of water.

By his third drink, his desperation to quench his thirst had died down, and instead he sat while sipping the cold water from time to time. His eyes were still narrowed, still angry while staring out at the nothing in front of him, but Sakura was happy to see some color back in his face.

"Feeling better?" she asked.

His only response was another sip; he didn't even grace her with a look. It was as if he was completely ignoring her again. Sakura allowed the silence though, for she, too, was falling back into her thoughts the more she stared at Gaara. His presence, his entire being in front of her, had both a calming and unsettling effect on her. Knowing he was here, someone she knew, made her feel a little more secure in this lost world. He was someone she knew, a friend she could even say, a being whose presence made her know her life wasn't suddenly a fantasy. Yet, it was unsettling to look down at him too. The fact that she _had_ to look down at him; he was someone she knew. Yet, he was a child now, not the Kazekage she knew him to be. What did it mean, she wondered. Was she really stuck in the past? Was this an illusion? A dream? Maybe she had fallen ill since departing for Suna. Maybe this was some sort of vivid dream or hallucination she was having in the desert. Or, maybe it really was some sort of powerful jutsu.

She blinked a few times at Gaara while he still sipped time to time from his cup. Another thought coming to mind.

' _Maybe it isn't just me…_ '

A bold move, she thought it to be, for she didn't want the child to notice even the slightest hesitation she had in her. She did not want Gaara to notice any weakness about her, for she worried he would use that knowledge to his advantage. She didn't want their roles of authority to be switched, not when people around her treated him as that type of person. Regardless of the protest in the back of her mind, she looked down at him with wavering eyes, and a small hope in her heart.

"Gaara?" she called to him softly.

He simply drank, ignoring her.

"Do you remember me? Do you know who I am?"

To her question, his eyes now turned to her. That falter in her voice, the apprehension, the hesitation she knew they both could hear, had been the reason he finally looked up at her. His eyes locked with hers, and they stared at one another in silence. Sakura wanted to fully believe that he took notice of her at this moment because of her question. She held onto a hope that maybe the Gaara of her world was tossed back like she had been. Familiar as this all seemingly was, she did not want to be a stranger in this familiar new world.

She did not wish to be alone.

Yet, as Gaara's eyes remained locked on hers, while minutes continued to pass between them in silence, she began to doubt he even took her question to heart. It had probably been her unconfident voice that made his head turn. He was probably trying to sense whether her bravado from before had all been just an act. Perhaps it was him who always had the upper hand, Sakura thought. Possibly most people here treated him like he made the calls.

' _He has given you no reason to think of him in that way,_ ' Sakura told herself.

Despite everything, Sakura still painted him as an innocent, shy, little boy. Nervous of her because she was new, and confused by her questions, that's what she wanted to believe he was. Despite the warning Rasa had given her, Gaara had done nothing yet to prove he was what his father claimed him to be. Gaara was not a bad person. Her thoughts went back to the proud redhead of her world, one who protected Naruto and his village with his life. To those thoughts, she smiled softly at the child in front of her. Her eyes were apologetic to her random questions, but she couldn't stop herself from whispering to him.

"You'll be a great leader one day."

His eye twitched before he turned his head slowly back down and away from Sakura's peering gaze. He took another drink of his water, ignoring the rosette once more. To that, her smile fell some. Again, she wasn't sure if her words, that sort of praise, bothered the youngest lord, or not. She also began to wonder if her small hints to his future were not wise. Would it somehow affect the outcome of the life she was accustomed to if she revealed too much?

' _This isn't your world,'_ Sakura tried to justify in her mind. ' _This is...just a dream. A jutsu. A…_ '

She sighed. She didn't have an answer, and had no idea where to start looking for one. She didn't know what _this_ was. She rubbed the side of her eye, feeling a headache coming on. There was no use dwelling on these thoughts at the moment. She could look later, but her priority was still set on the child next to her.

"My name is Sakura."

Her introduction fell on deaf ears, to which she sighed. Earning a child's trust was a lot harder than she would have imagined. Or perhaps it was because this was Gaara, even she knew his older self to be cautious of new ones. However, she was determined to break through his defensive walls since she had a selfish wish that Gaara would not give her the hard time Rasa said he would.

She pondered for a moment, thinking back at her own childhood. What was it exactly that made her open up to new people in her life? She let out a heavy sigh when she couldn't remember a certain time. Not to mention, she was a pretty warm child, greeting new ones with a smile. Nothing like the boy in front of her. She plucked up some strands of her hair up, hoping the notion would grab Gaara's attention.

"See?" she asked with a smile. "My parents named me Sakura because my hair is the same color as a cherry blossom."

She waited, anticipating for Gaara to look her at her hair.

Nothing came.

The young woman hung her head when it dawned on her where she was exactly. The desert was not flourished like her home was.

"You've probably never seen a cherry blossom, have you? There's no way they grow around here."

Silence still before another sigh from Sakura. Like the boy, she rested her back against the tub, staring up towards the yellow ceiling.

"They're really pretty," her voice had become so soft she was unsure whether Gaara could hear her. "When I was your age, I didn't like my name. Kids made fun of it and my hair. I use to cry to my mother asking her to give me a new name."

Sakura blinked a few times.

' _Kids can be so cruel._ ' She thought back to her childhood before meeting Ino.

"But you know," she began again, "when I became older, I realized how beautiful my name really was. It began to make sense why my parents named me Sakura."

Her soft smile returned, and Sakura closed her eyes.

"Everyone loves cherry blossoms. They're beautiful, and that's exactly how my mother and father felt when they looked down at me for the first time. They knew how beautiful I was."

The was no reply from the young boy next to her, and Sakura even glanced at him to see if he acknowledged her story at all. Like she had guessed, he was unmoved, simply staring in front of him while sipping at his water. To this, the rosette took a moment to study him a bit longer, wondering what was currently going through his mind. When she noticed his dirty clothes again, she reprimanded herself for just sitting there and trying to converse with the young boy.

"Sorry," she mumbled before standing herself back up. "I promise not to tell you boring stories about me again."

Looking down at him, Gaara's attention was back on her. Sakura smiled at him as soon as she noticed his eyes on hers, however he did not return the look. For her though, it no longer mattered at the moment, she could gain the compassion she knew his older self to have later. Right now, there were more important tasks at hand.

"Which first?" she asked with a happy skip in her voice, one she knew a child would warm up to. "Bath, or food?"

She placed her hands on her hips, trying to show off her authority when Gaara's eyes drifted away from hers. She gave him a moment, assuming he took his time because it was a hard decision for his kid mind. But when that moment turned into silent, long minutes, Sakura began to grimace, and her arms fell in defeat over time.

"Hey," she mumbled. "Aren't you hungry at least? You'll feel better once we get some food in your stomach. They made us rice porridge."

Gaara said nothing, did not even look back up at her, he instead tilted whatever water was left in the plastic before smacking his lips lightly.

"Are you even listening to me?"

The boy was like a statue now, gripping his cup while sitting in his place. Again, Sakura wondered what was going through his mind.

"Gaara."

She had whispered his name, and was finally given a response that he had heard her, though, his angry look and narrow eyes weren't exactly the comforting answer she had wanted from him. She wasn't sure how to perceive this, perhaps he didn't like her pestering. Maybe her voice irked him, and that he didn't want to hear her call his name anymore. She was possibly disturbing his thoughts, that's why he looked at her this way now. Whatever reason, Sakura took it as a warning.

Leave me alone, he was silently telling her.

Somewhat torn, she knew it was her duty to care for the child, and while uncertain how to approach this new task, she was pretty convinced keeping him fed and clean were the top priorities to care for a child. Something in her mind told her too that if she walked away now, Gaara would view this as a victory for himself. She knew she couldn't allow him to view her as someone he could walk all over; she was the authority here. And yet, another part of her mind told her she could never break Gaara when he was set in his way. At least, that's how she knew his older self to be, it probably didn't stray too far that his younger self was the same. Hell would have to freeze over before he would change his mind.

Sakura sighed, turning from him and heading out of the washroom.

"Fine," she called out behind her for Gaara to hear. "Stay in here if you like."

She eyed the table that held their food before noticing the cookie she placed aside for him. A wicked idea came to her mind, then.

"Someone left a cookie here!" she called out. "Must be for a good little boy who will come out of the bathroom and eat his food! Too bad I don't see one here."

She paused for a moment, staring at the washroom entrance and hoping her idea had worked. This was something her parents always had done to her when she was disobedient. Only now was she grateful that she remembered these sort of tricks from her childhood, and she would have to thank her mother later. _I_ _f_ it worked on the stubborn redhead, that is. Again, minutes came and went, and she didn't even hear the boy shuffle from the washroom, let alone come running to her call much like she had when she was younger.

' _Guess he doesn't like cookies as much as his siblings._ ' Sakura thought before nestling herself onto the floor, and reaching for her food.

A sigh left her and her body relaxed the second she swallowed the food Annaisha had prepared them. The porridge was still warm, and as bland as the meal was, it was both welcoming and comforting for Sakura's soul. There were people who had come into her life, ones she could easily say she did not care for. For food, however, she had yet to meet a meal she disliked.

She let her mind draw blank after that, simply enjoying the silence and taste of the food in front of her. She had gone so far into her own personal zone, that she had not even noticed the child who finally made his way next to her. She nearly choked when she saw his small hand slowly snake across the table for the cookie she promised to be there. However, when her gaze went to his, she smiled between her bites as he began nibbling the dessert before stuffing the delicious pastry in his mouth.

His hurried and messy eating made Sakura chuckle lightly, it was a cute sight in a way. Also one she thought she'd never see of Gaara. Then again, she wasn't exactly supposed to be seeing him like this. Not as a child. Still, she wore her smile warm as she watched him wipe the crumbs off his face before staring at his bowl of porridge.

"Sit down with me," Sakura offered. "We can eat together."

His eyes were back on hers, though he looked at her passively instead of his angry expression from earlier. He studied her for some time, and Sakura him, for she still wondered what went through his mind every time he glanced at her hard and long like this. Yet, with time, he turned away from her, and she was surprised to watch him stroll past her and towards the door out of the room.

"H-Hey!" Sakura called as he opened the door. "Where are you going? Your food is going to get cold."

His answer to her was the click of the door closing behind him. Sakura stared at the wooden frame, contemplating whether to follow or not. Gaara was a child she was told to watch, yet the child himself wanted time to himself right now, which the rosette could sympathize with. She was new to his life, it probably scared him in some way.

"He'll be alright," Sakura assured herself, taking another bite from her bowl.

That's when she heard a blood-curdling scream echo throughout the house.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beta'd by [**Errihu**](https://archiveofourown.org/users/errihu/pseuds/errihu).

Sakura choked on her food for a second time that day. Though, through her years of swift teaching, she sprung up to her feet before the loud scream even finished, and forced the food in her throat down. She raced out the room without a second thought, except for a curse at herself in her mind.

' _Damn it! What was I thinking?!_ '

Now it became all the clearer to her how much Rasa had meant his words. She wanted to believe this child held no ill intentions, and that the Gaara of her future, the one who would shield his village and friends from harm with his own body, was somehow inside this child. She had hoped this task would be a breeze, that she could allow him to come and go as he pleased without the worry of him laying a finger on anyone. Yet, as she ran through the hallway and down the stairs, it was the image of Gaara, how she had first met him, that came to her mind suddenly. Crazy, blood-thirsty, cold, and murderous, as hard as it was to believe now, she did know a different side of Gaara, and grimaced thinking that this child's mindset was more like his teenager self than his adult one.

' _He's just a kid,_ ' she kept telling herself, as if that gave him his innocence alone.

But to those thoughts, it was the voices of people she just recently met speaking in her mind. Rasa's warnings, Temari's distaste, Annaisha's pride for her taking up this task, even the acts of ninjas who jumped back at the sight of Gaara, the extra steps his siblings had to take to shield away from him, Gaara's own angry stare towards her; it was all of these that made her rethink her stance on the boy's naivety. Surely now, taking in that deafening scream, he was not at all like the other kids she had passed by in Konoha.

He was Gaara, different.

Sakura found herself racing once more into the kitchen, skidding to a halt when she caught sight of the vibrant red hair. She watched him standing in front of the fridge, catching his sand at just the last moment planting the cookie jar into his small hands. She blinked, dumbfounded at the sight she clearly was not expecting before Gaara buried his hands into the jar and stuffed cookies hastily into his mouth.

"Sakura..."

Her name had been whispered, and she turned her eyes to catch sight of the old lady from before, who watched over Temari and Kankuro, shaking and staring wide-eyed at the redhead while fallen on the floor. In front of her, stood Annaisha, once again holding a cooking utensil out in front of her as if it were some sort of weapon. She had been the one calling Sakura's name, and like the old lady, her eyes were wide and riddled with fear.

"Get him out of here," Annaisha whispered frantically to the rosette.

Through the silence that followed, save for Gaara's hurried eating noises, Sakura's hearing caught something else in the air, and her eye's fell once more to the old, trembling lady. She was mumbling something frenetic, though her eyes were set purely on the small boy's back. The rosette took a moment, straining her ears to catch wind of what the old women was saying. It didn't take the young woman long to realize she was reciting words Sakura had been told over and over again here.

"Do not run. Do not run. If you run, he will chase you."

The old woman kept repeating this phrase over and over under her breath. Meanwhile, Sakura took a moment to study Gaara again, and sighed when she realized the only harm he had committed at this time was stealing cookies. This mad fear the other women in this room had was not justified in her mind. Gaara did not deserve the way they looked at him now.

Right?

Once again, doubt came to her, for she remembered once again his teenage self, the way his father had described him. Everything that made her doubt his innocence again poured into her mind as she watched him bury cookies into his mouth still.

"Sakura..."

Again, Annaisha whined towards her, and it made Sakura shake off her thoughts.

"Gaara," Sakura said, striding over to him. "Let's go back to your room. We can eat in there."

Again, her words did not move him. He ate while staring mindlessly at the fridge in front of him. To which, Sakura sighed, it was one thing to let him ignore her in the sanctuary of his room, yet here, in front of others, she knew it was her task to draw him away from others. She could not allow him to not hear her.

"Gaara," Sakura spoke a little more loudly this time. "We have to go back to your room."

Still nothing, and Sakura sighed. She didn't want to be the bad guy in his eyes, but realized she was given no more choice.

"Gaara, listen to me," she finally said. "No more cookies. We have food up in your room. We're going back. Now."

Her words were still not enough, and she somewhat knew they would not be, so she reached for the jar in his hands. As soon as her fingers graced the pottery, Gaara pulled the jar, and himself, away from her. Now she finally had his attention, but it was the look of anger and defiance he sent her. It shook Sakura for a moment, before her bold determination returned, and her gaze narrowed to match his.

"Gaara," she said, warning in her tone. "Give me the cookies. You can't have any more."

The young woman could see something flash in Gaara's eyes. Whatever it was, it looked downright evil, and Sakura swore she could suddenly feel rage radiating off of the young boy. Yet, she stood there undeterred, for others depended her on the moment. So, she stretched her arm out and opened her palm to the boy in front of her.

"Give them to me. Now."

Though she kept her strong front outwardly in appearance, she was surprised to see Gaara suddenly hiss at her like some sort of animal, and again his eyes flashed with some dangerous intent. His emotion must have been so strong that moment, for Sakura could hear the old woman mumbling more loudly and frantically while Annaisha took the second to shed some light onto the situation.

"I was told his last caregiver gave him whatever he wanted."

Her voice was quiet, shaky, but Sakura suddenly had an understanding why the boy was suddenly so non-compliant with her. Not only because she was a new person in his life, someone he had no trust in, but because she didn't heed his angry eyes.

' _He's spoiled,_ ' Sakura thought. ' _Spoiled,_ _and_ _angry. Bad comb_ _ina_ _tion._ '

"Just let him have the cookies," Annaisha pleaded once more.

Perhaps it was because she was stubborn. Maybe it was because she kept her pride strong. That, or it could be because she knew the right thing to do was not to allow this child to walk all over her. He was young, he was stupid. She was the adult here, the smart one. She held the authority, not him. It was her duty now to make sure he learned what was acceptable, and what wasn't. It would be her teachings now that formed the great leader she knew Gaara would become. Again, she motioned her arm for him to hand over the jar, and again he scowled at her while pressing the cookies closer to his chest.

A minute would pass in silence, the other waiting for the other to give in, before Annaisha spoke up again.

"Please, Sakura," she begged. "Just let him have it. He is getting angry."

The rosette and young boy did not turn to the cook's words, ignoring her and focusing at the other in front of them. The old woman, who sat on the floor still and shook, finally found her voice outside of her quiet chanting.

"Give him what he wants," she whispered barely loud enough for Sakura to hear. "Yashamaru always-"

The old woman let out a small whimper, unable to finish her sentence, when the jar in Gaara's hands suddenly fell. Broken pieces and cookie crumbs littered the floor now, and Sakura took a moment to study the damage before looking back up at the boy. She was curious why he had dropped and broken the container, maybe his way of rebelling against her, she thought. Still, the young woman's face fell when she saw Gaara's sudden trembling form. With his wide eyes to the ground, his breathing heavy and fast, Sakura knew she had seen this look somewhere before. No matter how many years it had been, no matter how young Gaara was in front of her, she knew the situation in front of her had suddenly turned very dangerous. She tried to think of the reason why. Was he just a time bomb waiting to blow, and this had been the moment? Or was it something else? The old woman's words perhaps.

' _Who is Yashamaru?_ ' Sakura wondered.

Sakura realized the question would have to wait, now was not the time for such things and wonders. Not when the boy in front of her was now clutching his head and whimpering slightly. The rosette drew closer to him, surprised he did not look her way to her motion, and knelt down to one knee in front of him.

"Gaara," Sakura spoke softly, trying to get his eyes back on her. "Are you alright?"

He did not answer her, instead his breathing had become louder, his hands on his head gripped harder, and his whimpering became more frequent. Sakura frowned all the more, something inside of her told her to back away, to get as far away from him as she could. Perhaps it came from the time she last saw this look, when she was young, naive, and unsure of herself. Yet an ache in her heart made her stay, and again she wondered what psychological damage he could be going through at such a young age.

"Can you hear me?" she spoke again.

His eyes were on the floor in front of him, yet as Sakura studied them more, she realized how they wavered, moving from side to side every so often. He would open his mouth, as if about to speak before shutting it closed, and he repeated this over and over as time went by.

"He's talking to _him_."

A panicked voice suddenly rang out, and Sakura turned once more to look at the fallen old lady. With Gaara's sudden invisible distraction, the two woman took the opportunity to straighten themselves out.

' _Him?_ ' Sakura wondered, tilting her head in confusion.

The old woman noticed Sakura's quizzical look.

"Come on, enough talking," Annaisha said as she pushed the older lady towards the door. "Let's get out of here."

Before the other caregiver was ushered away, she locked eyes with Sakura once more to answer her puzzling look.

"Ichibi," she mouthed.

Sakura's eyes widened at this, and she quickly whipped her head to look back at Gaara. The way his eyes darted, his mouth moved, the way he tilted his head back and forth ever so slightly, all of this was because the creature inside his head was stirring? She couldn't recall a time she ever saw Naruto act this way. Then again, she never really interacted with Naruto at a young age like Gaara was now. Maybe everything was unstable because he was simply a child.

' _What a burden. Why_ _did they do this to him?_ ' Sakura thought with a grimace.

Behind her Annaisha spoke one last time before disappearing.

"You shouldn't stay, Sakura-sama," she said.

Instead of dwelling on the young girl's advice, it was the old lady who piqued Sakura's interest suddenly.

' _She seems to know quite a bit. I should talk to her soon._ '

Another whimper cam suddenly from Gaara, and his lips twitched ever so slightly that Sakura leaned her face down and towards him. She hoped his eyes would meet with hers, but instead he looked past her. She could tell he was far away from her now, not physically but mentally.

"Gaara?" she tried. "Can you hear me?"

Sakura sighed when nothing changed, and she frowned at the thought of the monster in his head. What were his words to the young child? At a young age, she had a sense that the Ichibi, and all other tailed beasts, were evil. That of course had changed during the war, but she still wondered what was happening inside the boy's head now. Did Shukaku whisper dark promises into his mind? Is that why he grew up to be the twisted teenager Sakura remembered him to be? If this were true, why had Naruto come out differently with his own monster in his head?

' _Because he had us,_ ' Sakura remembered quickly.

Sakura's frown grew as she blinked at Gaara once more. From what she had seen so far, no one came to his side but she. She, who wasn't even suppose to be here now. She, who really had no attachment to the redhead except a knowledge that his older self was a good man.

' _Does he truly have no one that cares for him?_ ' Sakura thought.

She continued to ponder if Gaara had been cast aside since his birth. It would explain the distance he held for others, would explain his erratic behavior she learned him to have. Would explain why it was only her now, kneeling next to him and trying to draw back his attention. To these thoughts, the dislike she held for Rasa grew.

' _Bastard. He's just a child,_ ' she thought.

Sakura finally reached out for the young boy, settling a gentle hand on his trembling back. Yet, at the small contact, her hand was slapped away as Gaara finally took notice of her. He stepped away from her fast, his eyes angry and watching her for sudden movements. From her hands to her eyes, his eyes went to and fro, watching her intently. The older woman recognized this, her frown heavy when she realized he was still on guard of her. That she was still a threat in his eyes.

"It's alright," she spoke softly. "I'm not going to harm you."

His eyes didn't move from hers then, and he only narrowed them more the longer time passed.

"I'm here to take care of you," Sakura continued. "I'm a friend. I'm-"

"Liar!"

Sakura's eyes widened to the boy's sudden cry. It was the loudest she had heard him thus far, and she was taken slightly aback to both his voice and label of her. He glared more at her, perhaps waiting for her retaliation before speaking again.

"Leave. Me. Alone."

He accentuated each word then, as if she were the misunderstanding child between them. Time between them again passed with silence, eyes locked, for Sakura was now at a loss for what to say. Words could only take her so far, and she realized then Gaara would not see her as anything more at this time. So, she nudged her head lightly to the side.

"Come on," she said, trying to force a small smile. "Let's go back to your room. We can eat. We can get you in some clean clothes, and-"

"No."

Her mouth dropped slightly to his defiance. Now what was she to do exactly? She wanted to show him she meant well, but how would she be allowed when he was so against her? She didn't want to raise her voice to him, for she worried he would lash out. To these thoughts, she sighed.

' _I do not know how to care for a child,_ ' she admitted once more, as if that would help her in any way now.

Maybe, she thought after some time, if she put a little trust in him, he would see her intentions as a good one in time. So, she again forced a smile, to which the boy's eyes flinched slightly at seeing.

"Ok," Sakura said. "We can do something else. What would you like to do?"

Gaara's body was still tense, and he said nothing as Sakura hummed in her spot. Again, she was puzzled what a child would want at this moment, and decided once more to put her trust in Gaara's hands.

"Surely there must be something," Sakura smiled. "We could go play up in your room, or you could show me the house."

"…"

Sakura sighed at the silence, upset she was failing once more.

"Surely there was something fun you and your last caretaker did together," Sakura mumbled.

The young woman knew her words had been the wrong ones the second her eyes fell back to Gaara's. His orbs were wide, jaw slightly agape, and he held a look of shock, as if she should have known better than to say such a thing. Perhaps that idea was true, for she was still lost and confused in this world, and how to support the child in front of her. Yet, before the rosette could apologize, Gaara's face fell, anger had returned, and all of it was focused on her.

It was a rage she had yet to see in him, and she tensed up slightly the more his death glare met her. He looked ready to strike, and if he knew she didn't have the strength to fend him off, he probably would have. Meanwhile, Sakura gulped, trying to decipher what to do next. Should she apologize? Play dumb and ask him what was now wrong? In honesty, she didn't understand how her words suddenly provoked something inside of him.

Her attention was back on him as he scowled towards her, and let out a loud groan as if he was irritated by her. At least, that was her impression of it, maybe he was actually trying to scare her away by making loud noises. Whatever reason for it, though, was soon forgotten as he turned from her and ran fast out of the kitchen.

"Gaara!" She cried.

She was quick to her feet, trying to catch up to the young boy. Throwing herself out of the kitchen, her heart instantly sank when she caught a glimpse of him sprinting out the home entirely through the front door. She stood frozen for a moment, her mind forming an image of a disapproving Rasa.

" _You are to keep him from harming others,_ " Sakura's thoughts repeated his words.

Yet, here she stood, watching the angry child throwing himself into the world of innocent lives. Of people who would run from him despite the warnings, ones that did not have the strength to crumble his sand, of many villagers who had no knowledge that they relied on her to keep them separated from the danger Gaara could bring. To that last thought, Sakura picked up her feet again and raced to the door.

Staring outside, her eyes found his vibrant red hair with ease. He was a distance away now, no longer sprinting but trudging slowly with determination to get away. Sakura ran once more, catching up to him and calling out.

"Gaara!" she cried. "Come back!"

She glanced around them, glad to see no one was around to lay eyes on the scene about them. She worried a panic may start, much like what had happened in the kitchen, and it also gave her time. Time to diffuse the ticking bomb walking away from her.

"Listen to me, Gaara!" Sakura cried.

His back was hunched slightly as she drew closer, yet his stride was still strong, as if he had a destination in mind to be. Sakura was set on stopping him though, and reached for his shoulder as soon as she came close enough.

"I said, _stop_!"

Her voice was loud only for a brief second. Her fingers didn't even get a chance to grace him before sand flew towards her face. It wasn't much, but it startled her enough to make her step back from the child and watch him leap slightly into the air. The grains below him picked up and swam around him, shielding him away from Sakura's touch and gaze. As quick as they picked up, they fell once more to the ground, leaving the boy completely disappeared and Sakura standing there alone.

"Shit." She cursed, spinning on her heels in hopes of catching Gaara's colorful hair once more.

Seeing nothing around her but buildings and sand, Sakura dragged her hands over her eyes and face, an annoyed groan following soon after.

"Why me?" she mumbled. "Why do I have to do this?"

" _He is dangerous._ "

It was Rasa's voice again playing in her mind, reminding her that she could not turn a blind eye in this situation.

" _Help me, and I will help you._ "

She also had a much bigger reason to do her job at hand properly. Kage were powerful, surely he would have an answer for her over her biggest dilemma, getting back home. Rasa would definitely give her his hand in aid if she did what he asked, right?

Sakura sighed again, turning her head in the direction she could hear people chattering away, going about their routine lives. She jogged lightly through the village, slowing her pace every time someone glanced her way. Causing a panic was not what she aimed to do. Despite her searching, she could not call out the boy's name for fear of frightening the villagers around her.

She looked to and fro. Going to every place her mind could remember in Suna, while stumbling into new territory she never knew the village to have. Well, that, or it was destroyed or replaced in the time she was familiar with.

"I do not know how to care for a child," Sakura whispered to herself, staring at the empty playground in front of her.

Her search had started with the sun in the sky, now she was trudging to random places with a beautiful orange, and pink sunset above. She didn't need to look at a clock to know her search had been a long one, and while it was draining her knowing Gaara hadn't crossed her path once, she was at least grateful she had heard no screams of terror within the village. As upset as the child was, how dangerous and irrational people claimed him to be, no more destruction had fallen Suna today thus far.

Sakura took a moment to look up at the colorful sky above her, contemplating what to do next. She imagined with his powers, if Gaara wanted to stay hidden from her, that was probably something she couldn't change at the moment. His sand hid him from her, that fact was obvious all the more to her now while she stood there in solitude. If there wasn't a sense of danger that the boy gave off before leaving, she would have probably allowed him to have his time on his own. Everyone needed that. Everyone deserved that.

Even Gaara.

"Please," she begged the dark clouds, "just don't let me find out he ran away again. Please, just let him come back home."

Sakura closed her eyes then, taking in a deep breath of fresh air. She whispered these words because she worried the Kazekage would go back on his promise if he ever found out of this mishap. Yet, thinking of the distant child, how others viewed and treated him thus far, she worried for his welfare as well.

"He's not a bad guy," Sakura said, reminding herself once again. "Just misunderstood. Nobody realizes yet the good he will bring."

Bringing her head down from the sky, Sakura glanced once more around the empty playground. No life could be seen by her, just some grains of earth sweeping by with the help of a fleeting breeze. To which, she sighed once more with a sense of failure. Turning on the spot, she slowly made her way back home, her mind full of questions, but above the rest, she simply wondered where the child could have fled to.

She glanced down at her dirty clothes the minute she stepped back into the giant home. Through her missions growing up, Sakura became undeterred of her dirty wear when an assignment given to her lasted longer then the amount of clothes she packed; or when in enemy territory, where a bath and fresh underwear were a luxury long forgotten. Still, that didn't stop the woman from morphing her face into distaste looking down at her dirty wear and skin. She wasn't on a mission far away from a bath. She had no excuse for herself.

"Maybe I should bathe, and rest," she told herself, looking up the stairs.

She had a plan. Simple, she could do it. Yet, she still stood frozen at the doorway, rubbing her temple back and forth, and thinking of the boy in the world outside.

"He's probably starving," Sakura whispered to herself.

Remembering him from earlier, how torn and dirtier his clothes were than hers, she frowned.

"He needs a bath, too."

She groaned while dragging her hands down her face, not sure why she couldn't get Gaara out of her head now. The image of him sick earlier played in her mind, and while she knew sleep was forbidden for him, she couldn't help but feel her heart ache for the child thinking how worn he must be.

"He's probably so tired..."

Sakura let out a loud moan of annoyance, looking back and forth from the stairs back to the entrance she just came in from.

' _Should I go look for him again?_ '

Knowing this concern for him was not going to leave anytime soon, Sakura turned to leave and search again, but stopped in her tracks when she heard a small giggle behind the kitchen door. She didn't need to second guess it, she knew that laughter belonged to a child, and strolled quickly over towards the kitchen.

' _Did he come back on his own?_ ' Sakura thought, a smile on her when she realized he was probably back in there searching for cookies.

Her smile did not fall when she entered the room, instead her eyes scoured for the vibrant red, and she called his name.

"Gaara?"

Her smile was strong, but it faltered immediately at the three pairs of eyes that were now on her. None of them belonged to the child she sought, and she stood there awkwardly as they took in her baffling interruption to their dinner. Sakura's eyes bounced to each of them, from Kankuro to Temari, and then up to the old lady she assumed to be these children's caregiver. She had been the same one earlier who asked Temari to put her hair up, and also the very same who stared in fear while Gaara ate cookies before running from Sakura. The old lady held so much fear then, and Sakura recognized it still strong as she stared towards her with a hanging jaw.

"You lost the boy…?" she whispered with a panic brewing.

Sakura's hands were up in a flash, and she forced a grin on her face.

"N-No! Of course not," she laughed "Just thinking out loud. He is up in his room of course."

The old woman's stare was hard, but she nodded in time, accepting the answer before turning to the two kid's at the table.

"Continue your meal."

The kids obeyed, and Sakura took a step back, about to take her leave and allow them to dine in peace. Yet, taking one more glance at the old lady, the scenario from before replayed in her mind. This woman had uttered a name earlier, and it seemed to have triggered some reaction out of Gaara.

' _What was it again?_ ' Sakura asked herself in her mind. ' _Assanaru? Yishamara? Yashamaru?_ _Ah, right..._ '

Sakura strolled over to a seat next to Kankuro, feeling the boy's stare on her the whole time as she settled down.

"Is it alright if I sit next to you?" she smiled down at the child.

Though his eyes were curious, Sakura worried his bashful nature would drive him away from her, but instead he eventually returned a smile of his and a nod of approval. He returned to his meal, and Sakura turned to the old woman.

"I'm Sakura, by the way. I don't think we've properly met."

"Shiori. I am Temari-sama, and Kankuro-sama's caretaker," the old woman replied before biting into her meal again.

"Shiori-san, huh?" Sakura repeated, earning the older woman's eyes on her.

Sakura tried to pinpoint a moment she may have met this old lady before; but her name, along with her face, were a new one to her. She also looked late into her age, it was possible she had passed before Sakura had made her first travel to Suna.

"Nice to meet you," Sakura finished.

"Nice to meet you," the old woman replied.

Despite the casual greeting, Shiori's look was long and hard towards Sakura, and the old woman swallowed before speaking once again.

"Do you think it wise to leave him on his own for this long?"

Surprised at first, Sakura was about to retort that he was a child, and ask what harm could possibly happen? Yet, before she could utter a single word, her mind reminded her of the child they spoke of.

' _That's right. Gaara. He is not like other children._ '

Instead, Sakura returned the older woman's stare.

"He will be alright. I will not be long," Sakura replied.

It was at this point, Sakura realized the eyes of the children were staring once more at her. She wondered how blind they were to her and Shiori's conversation. Did they know they spoke of their brother? Did they also have a sense of dread knowing Sakura was here and Gaara on his own? It made Sakura wonder briefly what sort of panic would ensue if she told them the truth of Gaara. That he had run off to the outside world, without a clue from anyone where he was hiding. Their eyes were curious, but as she looked at both of them, Sakura could sense their cautiousness.

They were just as afraid.

For Sakura, it was another heartache to see this. Gaara was their brother, their family. It gave the rosette some comfort to at least know this would change in the future.

Quick to ease their minds, Sakura playfully picked at Kankuro's food, popping some of it into her mouth. She winked at him when his eyes found hers again, and she was relieved to see his smile grow before letting out a small chuckle.

"I'll go back once I finish off your food," Sakura teased, her hand playfully reaching for his plate once more.

The brunette boy's laughter grew, and he shielded his meal from Sakura's teasing hands.

"Sakura! Guess what?!"

It was the blonde girl who called out to her casually, much to Sakura's surprise, and her smile was big when Sakura took notice of her.

"Hm?" Sakura replied, nodding her head that she had heard the girl.

"I got a new fan to train with!"

Sakura's eyes widened briefly, surprised to hear of Temari's training. She seemed so young to be learning just yet, still, the rosette forced a grin.

"That's great. I'll have to come watch you train sometime."

"I'm really good!" Temari boasted. "Sensei says he'll teach me to fly with it someday. Kankuro needs more training though, he isn't that good with his puppets."

Sakura could hear the small boy whine in disapproval next to her, no doubt Temari's words were meant to be secret. Shiori picked up on this quick, hushing Temari and telling her once more to finish her dinner. To this, a silence fell for some time, and it was Sakura's thoughts of earlier that came back.

"Shiori-san, may I ask you something?" Sakura broke the silence with a soft voice.

Shiori's eyes were back on Sakura. Perhaps Sakura's curiosity had piqued then, or she worried Shiori would hint for her to return to Gaara, but for whatever reason, Sakura was quick to ask before the old woman could even reply.

"Who is Yashamaru?"


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beta'd by [**Errihu**](https://archiveofourown.org/users/errihu/pseuds/errihu).

" _Who is Yashamaru?_ "

An uncomfortable silence swept into the kitchen after that question, and Sakura again wondered whether her words had been an appropriate one or not. Though, the answer to that was painfully obvious the longer Shiori remained mute. Within time, the rosette was about to revoke her inquiry with a wave of her hand, going to tell the old lady that it was of no importance, but the image of a rattled Gaara from earlier stopped her from even opening her mouth.

Gaara had reacted so coldly, so oddly earlier, after that name was uttered, that it invoked Sakura's curiosity like a cat's. Was there a tie to that person and the young redhead? Maybe this would be a small step to understanding the young boy better. At this point, Sakura was willing to take whatever was given to comprehend this young Gaara. She had already angered him, watched him run away without an idea as to where, or when his return would be. If he returned, that is. In a way, the scenario would be comical to her. Perhaps a chuckle would have even escaped her at the idea that this was the exact scenario Rasa asked of her to prevent.

But she couldn't, because she was failing with Gaara, who was a danger to most. She couldn't even go to the only one she knew to help her with her predicament at the moment, Rasa.

Looking back up to the silent lady, Sakura was surprised Shiori's eyes instead fell to the two children at the table instead of on her. The rosette then let her eyes fall towards Kankuro, who now played with his food instead of eating it. He wore a heavy frown, eyes sad and settled on the plate. His gaze was distant, and his thoughts were now far from them and the dinner in front of them. Sakura next turned to Temari, surprised to see the young blonde's hard gaze settled on her already. Their eyes locked, and at that moment Sakura swore she could see the piercing, reprimanding gaze Sakura had seen in Temari's older self. The young girl chewed on her food slowly, and Sakura swore she could hear her silently asking her.

_Why would you ask such a thing?_

With time, Temari's gaze fell from Sakura's, a motion that would have probably never had happened if she was the older woman Sakura knew her to be. At this moment, Shiori cleared her throat, drawing back Sakura's attention on her.

"Yashamaru was their uncle."

Some light now shed on her, and Sakura again looked towards the children.

' _Their uncle?_ ' she thought, before turning to stare at Temari's hair. ' _Gaara's too then…_ '

Sakura stared hard at Temari's blonde locks, her ponytail still left in the way she had made it earlier.

' _Something about their uncle triggers Gaara._ ' Sakura thought, remembering all that Shiori told them earlier.

Now it made a little more sense why the child had acted peculiarly in the kitchen suddenly. Thankfully, he hadn't lashed out like Sakura was told he would. It still made the young woman's curiosity grow, she still had questions and wondered about this man named Yashamaru. Particularly at what had earned him Gaara's distaste so much that Temari was forced to shield any resemblance of him.

' _...was their uncle._ '

That sentence repeated itself in her mind, and quickly she brought her eyes back up to Shiori.

"Was?" Sakura asked.

The older woman nodded, glancing once again between the two children before answering.

"Kazekage-sama informed us that he was killed during Gaara-sama's rampage a few weeks ago."

Sakura's eyes widened then. It seemed like the more Shiori explained, the more questions would arise in Sakura's mind. To her, he was just some poor relative that got caught up in the Ichibi's destruction. He clearly wasn't the only one who had lost their life at the time. Still, Gaara held some sort of emotion towards this man, and while Sakura assumed it to be animosity, his sibling's eyes seemed to speak something else. They looked sad the more they spoke of this uncle, and Sakura wondered why Gaara felt opposite towards the man from what Temari and Kankuro did.

' _Perhaps, he did not treat Gaara as well as he treated them,_ ' Sakura's mind whispered. ' _Maybe he_ _was_ _just like Rasa._ '

"He was also Gaara-sama's caretaker."

Sakura's eyes widened again, and she was too surprised the even meet Shiori's gaze. Instead, eyes staring straight ahead at the thought.

"Yashamaru had been taking care of Gaara-sama since his birth. He was Karura's brother."

Now, another new name presented itself, and again Sakura was curious to learn all of what made Gaara the way he was. Though, this puzzle, given all the pieces she was now handed, was one she figured out quickly.

"Karura was Gaara's mother?"

The older woman opened her mouth to speak, but was cut short suddenly by Temari.

"She was our mother too!"

Her voice was loud, shrill, and anger was as evident in her face as much as her voice. Temari's gaze caught and locked Sakura's once more, and the young girl shook lightly trying to hold back tears.

"Why?!" Temari cried again, teeth grinding. "Why did mother have to have Gaara?! All he does is kill everyone! He just killed her too!"

Sakura said nothing as she stared into Temari's torn face, instead remembering her thoughts from earlier with Annaisha.

' _Losing a mother, is a wound that never heals._ '

The young girl fought to hold back her tears, yet her words were riddled with heavy emotion; and while any other would remind Temari that with a loss came a gain, that while her mother was now gone she now had a brother, the room was instead quiet. In truth, this young girl had lost something more precious than anything Gaara would be willing to offer her now. With mother came love, with Gaara came hate; and a dreadful, constant fear that a mother would shield their child from. This girl had found no comfort these past years with the loss of her mother, and it would probably be many more before she ever found, or accepted the fact. She still had yet to learn how to endure.

Sakura, however, found her voice, for she knew the love and concern Temari would one day have for Gaara, and him for her.

"Someday, you'll realize just how much you love Gaara."

Her voice was soft, but Temari's face fell as if she had just been yelled at. Her eyes were round, and mouth agape while trying to process Sakura's words. Her tears rolled down her face freely now, and it took her a minute to shake away the shock from her face. However, as she glared at Sakura, whose look was stoic and calm, the anger quickly resurfaced. She opened her mouth to retaliate, but Sakura beat her with her own words.

"He will love you too. Someday."

Temari ground her teeth harder, glaring at Sakura. Her tears were heavier now.

"You're wrong! I hate him! I hate him so much!" Temari screamed. "I just want my mommy back!"

Sakura's face was still stoic, undeterred by the young girl's wails. She couldn't understand the pain Temari was now feeling, her life was so drastically different from the one she knew that she could not relate to her. Still, she tried her best to sympathize with her, for Temari would be a good friend to her one day. So, Sakura opened her mouth again, to remind the girl to be patient, that with time things will change. However, as soon as Temari realized Sakura was to say more, she grabbed and covered her own ears.

"No!" Temari cried before Sakura could utter a word. "No more! I don't want to hear about Gaara anymore!"

Sakura shut her mouth, staring down at the girl's red, wet face. The rosette couldn't help but feel a little twinge of guilt since Temari was obviously now distraught because of her. Yet, Sakura knew deep down that her words were the truth, that with time the young girl would finally realize this. Bringing an arm slowly towards her, Sakura reached for the blonde to pull her into an embrace, it would be her silent apology for making the child cry, and ruining her dinner. However, like Gaara, as soon as Temari recognized Sakura's movement, she jumped from her seat.

"I wish he would just die and disappear forever!" Temari cried before turning and running out of the kitchen.

Shiori, quiet this whole time, quickly wiped a napkin over her mouth before following after the girl.

"Temari-sama, come back!" she called while leaving the kitchen.

With the old lady's departure, so, too, did any more answers Sakura had hoped to get from her depart. She still had questions about Gaara, about Yashamaru, about Karura, about Rasa, about this whole family basically. It dawned a little more on Sakura then how much she truly did not know about Gaara and his past. Perhaps, in her time, she should have indulged herself a little more about learning of the fifth Kazekage's childhood. It would have surely helped her here.

She sat staring at the spot Temari and Shiori had left through. Her mind repeated Temari's words of hating her brother and wishing he was out of her life. She shook her head the more she dwelled on it, for it angered her to see the blonde so against her own brother now when the future was so different.

They were siblings, their older selves loved one another. Why couldn't that bond between them happen now? Why did both have to be tortured emotionally for many more years to come before realizing how dear to one another they really were? Why was this suffering of the two allowed?

"I'm sorry," Sakura mumbled in secrecy, angry at the situation she had just caused.

Next to her, someone cleared their throat quietly, and she quickly remembered that she was still not alone right now. She looked down at Kankuro, rubbing her temple to numb the coming headache. He looked up at her curiously, yet Sakura could see the sadness in his orbs. No doubt, his feelings matched that of his sister's, and he wished the same as her. For their mother to be here now instead of their brother. Sakura sighed before softly smiling towards the boy.

"Forgive me," she whispered to him. "I didn't mean to ruin your dinner, or make your sister cry."

Kankuro said nothing, and his eyes were not readable to Sakura before he turned them back down to the plate. He was quiet as he rolled his food around with his utensil. From the display, Sakura realized how uncomfortable he now probably was alone with her. Still timid, still reserved, and he was definitely still wary of her, and probably more so now after this little fiasco. Another sigh left her, and her smile fell to a frown as she watched him silently.

"Please..." she suddenly whispered.

His eyes were back on her in a flash, curiosity in them as he stared towards Sakura and waited on her words. Meanwhile, the rosette had fallen quiet again, unsure what words to use to make Kankuro understand her request. Like his sister, he was still a child. Like any child, he was still naive, and with that, she wondered if he would even take her words to heart.

She had to try at least, right? For Gaara's sake.

"Please, don't hate him," Sakura whispered.

Sakura's hand slowly snaked across the table, her hand falling on top of the boy's own. Unlike his siblings, he did not flinch or pull away, instead staring at the small embrace as she gave it a squeeze before turning back to her eyes.

"Don't turn your back on him," Sakura softly said. "I don't think your mother would have wanted that."

Kankuro's eyes widened for a moment. Maybe it was from her alien words, since no one told him he should love his brother; Maybe it was the mention of their mother, whose smiling face he did not even remember. For whatever reason, he flinched under Sakura's hold then, and quickly pulled his hand from her, eyes falling down and away from her look. Sakura smiled sadly at the boy before excusing herself and leaving him alone in the kitchen. She had said what she had wanted to say, there was no more reason to stay, especially when she knew Shiori would probably not return anytime soon to answer her questions.

' _There's still so much I don't know,_ ' Sakura thought while climbing up the stairs. ' _This Yashamaru was Gaara's uncle, and caretaker before. Now he is gone. Temari resemble_ _s_ _him in a way, but was ordered by her father to hide this. Karura was the mother, dead since Gaara was a baby._ _How is_ _it_ _then he was able to kill his mother like Temari says?_ _'_

Sakura sighed when she entered the yellow room, once again eyeing its emptiness in hopes of finding the redheaded boy. She found nothing, and turned her eyes towards the window, glaring at the night sky and twinkling stars outside. Her mind was full at the moment that she couldn't decide what course to take next. Should she go look for Gaara again? Look for Rasa, explain how the boy fled from her? Search for Shiori to ask more of all she knew of Gaara and his past? Was there even a point of doing so, she wondered. This was the past, a time that no longer mattered to her. Things worked out in her future. Gaara was happy, she assumed, in his place as Kazekage in her future. There was no reason for her to pry now except to quench her thirst of curiosity.

Another sigh left her, and she brushed her hand through her hair. She was torn.

"I should be figuring out a way home."

Easier said then done, and she still was unsure which direction her first step should face. Should she ask the Kazekage now? He did offer his help, but only with time, and if she did the job she was asked. Yet, standing here alone, she knew she was unsuccessful with this task. Maybe there was someone else she could ask, or maybe even a book was available. She would take any and all information she could about time. Perhaps, instead of spending the afternoon looking for Gaara, she should have spent it searching for answers of her own.

Somehow, that thought alone made her heart ache. She tried to imagine his older self, tried to picture the young man near the same age as her leading his village proudly and content with life. However, it was the little boy she was tasked now that kept coming to mind. He was cold, bitter towards her, and shunned her as much as people tossed him to the side. He had no love from anyone at the moment, not even his brother and sister cared for him right now. Temari screamed at her how she wished Gaara was dead, and all of that was what made her chest pang with hurt.

No matter what her future held, despite her presence being here or not, everything came out okay for Gaara, yet Sakura still felt for the young boy. Nobody as good as he would one day become deserved what was happening to him now.

"He's just misunderstood," Sakura mumbled.

Taking another look at her appearance, Sakura scowled once more at her dirty clothes and skin. Though she had searched her mind for an answer to her many plights and found nothing, she was no closer to solving the fact that she was still dirty. She quickly marched her way towards the small bathroom with a new set decision above all the others.

She needed a bath.

Once in the small, white room, she took her time rinsing off the day's worth of caked sweat and dirt before dipping herself into the warm water. She relished in the feel, letting her mind come to a blank as she meditated in the small tub. Back home, the young woman would have easily been able to keep an empty mind, but here, now, it didn't take long before the image of Gaara came back sneaking into her thoughts. She sighed when she realized she would never be able to properly relax tonight, if ever again, if he did not return home soon; and with that thought, of the child wandering the streets alone, in the dark, Sakura washed her body all the more quickly.

"Damn it," she cursed at herself, almost finding humor again in this situation. "I really don't know what to do with him."

Though she spoke those words to herself, she rinsed the suds off her body knowing what needed to be done next. Like a new mother, unsure what course to take, a decision quickly came regardless of her uncertainty.

"I can't leave him out there by himself."

She had hoped, with time passing, Gaara would return on his own. Yet, with night awakening, she worried for the boy's safety. She rushed to dry and dress herself, wringing her wet hair up into a bun and trying to ignore the heavy drops tracing down the back of her neck. With the warm bath came a new set of determination within the rosette. She _had_ to find Gaara, if not for his sake than at least for hers so her work would suffice in Rasa's eyes. At the moment, the Kazekage's wise mind and village secrets was all that she could rely on figuring out a way home. Despite the distaste she held for him, she wasn't ready yet to step on his toes.

"No," Sakura mumbled to herself, for she didn't want to think of her selfish when it came to Gaara.

He was Naruto's friend after all.

"I'll search the desert again if I have to," she told herself. "He's just a child. I have to find him. I have to make sure he is alright."

Opening the bathroom, Sakura stepped out with strong purpose. She would not return until she found the boy, and she took a few steps towards the door leading out of the room before stopping dead in her tracks. Though the room was still quiet as before, something in the air was amiss. She stood there, frozen, eyes swimming all around the room for the source of her sudden uneasiness. She had looked past it at first, but her eyes were quick to retract when a foreign object, one that was not there before her bath, was propped against a dark corner of the room.

' _The sand gourd._ '

Sakura stared at it for awhile, wondering how the object was now suddenly placed there. Once more, she turned around the room, hoping to spot the boy. She saw no other living thing though, and turned her attention back onto the gourd. Again, she stared at it for a long time, trying to pick up memories she had with it. For her, it gave her an eerie feeling. She felt uneasy staring at it so quietly, yet that tense feeling also made her curiosity grow. Soon, her feet picked up again, and she drew closer to the object and stared down at it.

"If I remember right..." Sakura said to herself.  
"The sand in this is a little different. It's Gaara's own sand."

Her interest only seemed to grow the longer she thought about it. She wondered if this sand felt any differently than the grains outside. She wondered if it looked differently, or if her intelligence would be able to discern the difference between the two textures of this sand to the grains outside. With those thoughts, and anxious to learn something new, Sakura began reaching for the gourd.

Never did it cross her mind that her hands be kept to herself. At that moment she had forgotten that permission to touch was needed from the owner first. Or maybe the item she wanted her fingers to grace was fragile, because for whatever reason, if any of these were even it, the small boy suddenly fell in front of her. He shielded his gourd with his own body, his small frame wrapping his arms around it, and he looked back at Sakura with narrowed eyes.

"Ah!" Sakura beamed, pulling her arm back and smiling down at the boy. "Gaara! I was worried about you! Where did you go?"

"..."

Sakura watched the boy hug his gourd tighter before tearing his eyes away from her and her smile. The young woman remembered than how much the boy still didn't trust her, and wasn't surprised that he ignored her questions still. However, before a sigh could escape her, he actually spoke. Not to answer her question, but to speak words of warning.

"Do not touch mother."

Sakura's jaw fell slightly, and her eyes were completely fixated on Gaara. Baffling words, and to come from someone so small left Sakura so flabbergasted. What exactly was he referring to? Had he forgotten his mother had passed? Before she could reply, his eyes rose back to her, less anger in them, but he again spoke.

"Mother does not like you."

Gaara stared hard at Sakura, so hard that she wondered if he was expecting a reply, or some sort of retaliation from her. Perhaps, he was expecting what others had done or told him before, for this didn't feel like his first warning to be spoken. Yet, with time, his eyes fell back down and he rested his head against his gourd, arms wrapping more tightly around it.

Meanwhile, Sakura stood frozen in a stupor.

' _Mother?_ ' she kept questioning. ' _Did he hi_ _t his_ _head? Did he suffer some sort of brain injury while out in the desert?_ '

Sakura graced the boy with another analyzing look. He was extremely dirty, still without a wash or new clothes since gods know when, and Sakura could still see the dried blood on the side of his forehead. His familiar marking, one of Gaara's many signatures, was beginning to peel from the dry scabs and caked blood. The young woman blinked while staring at that mark, remembering how fresh it still appeared when she found Gaara. While she didn't think of it to be a source of head trauma, she couldn't help but wonder what events led to that mark. All she knew was the Ichibi had done this wreckage around the village before the young boy disappeared into the desert.

Her thoughts returned to his siblings and their distaste for him, the fear the house help had when simply speaking of this boy, and the cold negligence his father had in taking care of this son. Those thoughts, made her stare at nothing but that kanji symbol on the side of his forehead.

' _It may as well say irony._ '

Sakura shook those thoughts when she realized Gaara's eyes were back on her. He looked at her questioningly, and rightfully so, for she was quiet and lost in her thoughts this whole time. She was still a stranger to him, and her thoughts could be dangerous to him if she chose them to be. He was always prepared, it seemed, to assume that her thoughts were of a threatening one. So, with that idea in her head, she smiled softly to the boy and knelt down to his level to try to show him no hostility on her part.

"Gaara, why do you say your mother doesn't like me?"

Again, she wasn't given an answer.

"You do remember that she is gone, right?"

Sakura bit her lip as she watched the boy turn his head from her and continue to hug his gourd. As much as she feared a head injury, it made her heart ache reminding the child of what he no longer had.

" _Why did he have to kill our mother?!_ "

While staring at Gaara, it was Temari's cry ringing one more in Sakura's head. Could he have really done such a thing as a babe, she wondered. Did he have any recollection of it? Had he ever been told? Was it even the truth, or was it a lie formed by all those that feared him?

"Gaara," Sakura spoke again, still worried he may have forgotten all of this. "Please, answer me. Did you hit your head while out in the desert? Can you at least tell me if you know where you are right now?"

Sakura sighed when long seconds passed, and the boy was quiet as ever. She wasn't sure if this silence came from uncertainty, or if he didn't want to humor her with an answer. A young Gaara would definitely make for an ornery patient, the young woman decided then.

"That mark on your head," Sakura tried again. "How did you get it?"

She wasn't sure where her curiosity for his scar came from. Perhaps because the mark was still somewhat fresh on his head, or maybe it was because she was learning and seeing more of this child's past. Whatever reasons, she knew she didn't hold this curiosity for the older Gaara in her world. Never did it dawn on her then to ask the young lord how the kanji engraved in his head came to be.

Her train of thought stopped when she watched the boy let out a breathy sigh. His movement was quick, and he tossed the gourd over his back before racing up the wall of his room. Sakura was surprised this young child had such good control of his chakra that he was able to walk the roof of his own room, but still smiled when she saw footprints paint the top of his roof.

"So, that's where you came from..." Sakura whispered.

There were a few round windows above her, but Gaara seemed to find sanctuary in a giant one that looked over the village. He perched himself next to the glass, finding a seat on top of the clay ledge and settling his gourd opposite of him. He stared out the window, the night sky painting an image of a bright moon and flashy stars. Yet, his eyes were distant, as if he was looking past the night and village all together, and Sakura again wondered what was going on through the child's mind.

Though he obviously sought his personal space, Sakura walked up the very same wall and towards the window Gaara sat next to, gripping the ledge to hold herself upright as soon as she came near.

"Is this where you been hiding all day?" Sakura asked.

Though she was sure he could sense her coming near, the boy refused to glance back at her, instead his eyes were set to the world beyond the window. She took a moment to study him, and where his stare to her all day had been either angry or passive, she swore she could see some sort of longing in his look now. It made her chest clench again, and she stared out towards the village along with him. Wondering once more where his thoughts were, or if his eyes held a sad story that he kept to himself.

Her mind went back to all that had transpired today, and yesterday, and where she knew her concern should be finding a way back home, her ideas still went to the hungry boy eating greedily in the kitchen earlier. It dawned on her then how little he had eaten today, in weeks honestly, and she stared back towards the child. She remembered a little shop she had seen earlier while searching for the child, and wondered if Gaara's hungry stomach would overcome his hostility towards going anywhere with her.

"Gaara," she called.

Her voice had been soft, but his head did actually turn to meet with her gaze. It shocked her even more that his eyes did not hold the anger from before, nor did he stare at her without any care, he actually genuinely looked up at her curiously. For once, including the Gaara from her time, he looked at her with wonder on what she would say next. To that, she smiled, happy the boy didn't completely ignore her at the moment. Perhaps, staring out the window, lost in his own thoughts, had calmed his demeanor for the moment.

Her smile grew to a grin.

"Let's go out," she beamed. "I know a place where we can get something sweet."


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beta'd by [**Errihu**](https://archiveofourown.org/users/errihu/pseuds/errihu).

He kept his distance from her.

Despite his silent agreement to follow her through the village for a sweet treat, his walk was slow and feet behind her. At times Sakura would stop in her tracks, turning around to make sure he had not run from her but instead followed through the night. She did this also in hopes that he would finally catch up to her, that this walk between them could be taken with matching steps. Instead though, when Gaara noticed her standing there and waiting for him, he too would halt his movement, waiting on her to continue so that he may as well.

Persistent as she was before, the fifth time of this happening had Sakura puffing out her cheek in annoyance.

' _Brat,_ ' she thought.

She glanced at the giant gourd he carried on his back, bigger in size than his entire body. At first she offered help in carrying the item. He had whipped to face her before her fingers even touched the object, his eyes angry and silent in saying, do not touch. She had backed off then, respecting his property. However, as his tiny body hunched more during their walk, she worried for his back. Why did he feel the need to bring this anyway? Maybe he thought her intentions ill, that she was going to strike him down at any moment. This was his precaution, perhaps. That, or this was routine for him. Where he went, so too the gourd. Sakura didn't have an answer, and simply shrugged trying to think of one. He still waited on her to move, and so taking one more glance at the gourd, Sakura finally turned from him and did exactly just that.

The village around them was dark, save for a few street lights, but despite the dismal appearance night gave the area, the sky above was like a painted picture. Beautiful, detailed, and vibrant; she had to admit the stars and moon did not twinkle and glow this brightly back home, and despite the small cool breeze that would pick up from time to time, the night was surprisingly warm.

They both had been fortunate. They came across no one, and Sakura was surprised the village was so desolate this early into the night. It did not flourish with activity like her home; at least there she knew there would be vendors and shops still open like the one they were headed to. Instead, here most people took refuge into their homes. Perhaps it was just a slow night, or maybe they hid themselves for a reason. Not that it mattered to her, she simply felt grateful no one had crossed their path yet and let an aura of fear sweep over them like earlier today.

Of course, luck was only on their side for the few minutes of walking. In the back of her mind she knew their destination held at least one person in their path, and as soon as she caught eyesight of them, and them of her and the child following behind, she could already sense their discomfort in the air.

Sakura had brought Gaara to a small street stand. Noticing it earlier from her search for him, she suddenly couldn't get it out of her mind thinking how much more delicious this treat surely tasted in this hot desert. Though cooler now, the air in the sky was still thick with heat from the day, and the rosette smiled the closer she came to the shaved ice stand. For her, it had been a very long time since she indulged in such a sweet.

Her smile faltered as she drew closer to the vendor, the tension in the air simply grew the more Gaara came to the man. His eyes were settled on the boy, no matter how much closer Sakura was, and the old man shook lightly and stood frozen in his spot. Just a few feet away, and the young woman could see his downright fear, and her eyes could even perceive the cold sweat that was trailing down this man's face.

In her heart, Sakura felt for the boy behind her. Gaara had done nothing at the moment, given no reason for the man in front of them to shake behind in his stand. It was unfortunate, she realized then, that Gaara had to suffer the anxiety, hate, and much more these villagers had for the tailed beast inside of him. In a way, it made Sakura want educate the old man in front of her, to tell him Gaara had no choice or say in the matter what was decided for him before his birth. He had asked for none of this, and that all this animosity for the boy should instead be held against his father. A man who so far had been praised by almost all she had met here.

Instead, Sakura kept her lips pursed as she stood in front of the stand. On the other side, she gave the old man a minute while he continued to stare past her and worryingly towards Gaara. She gave the vendor a little more time, for she hoped cordiality would come back to this trader and his eyes would turn to her, the customer. Yet, the minute came and went, and Sakura was forced to clear her throat to get his attention. He had actually jumped to her sound, not at all aware of her presence, to which Sakura frowned more. Still, they were here for a snack, not to scare away this man, so she took the liberty of showing him what friendliness looked like, and nodded her head in silent greeting.

"Can we get two-"

Sakura stopped her voice when she felt Gaara literally draw up next to her. It surprised her that he finally came so close to her, she had expected him to linger back while she ordered for the both of them. Not to mention, he drew up so near to her, his hair brushing up against her, that he perhaps didn't even realize how much of a gap he closed off between them. She watched him peer over the counter of the stand, glancing at all the displayed sweets with interest. It made sense to her then why he drew close, and that was because he wanted to take in the colorful display and watch his dessert be made. To this, Sakura smirked at the child.

During their walk, he held back in fear of her, or perhaps just cautious of her motives, something very mature at his age. Yet, with the colorful stand, food, and promise of a treat hitting his eyes, that innocence returned to him, and he couldn't even stop himself from drawing near; and it was rightfully placed, Sakura knew, for he was a child. This was his time to enjoy himself like any other kid. These years belonged to a young mind and pure heart, for soon he would be thrown into the cold, ninja world where there, his wishes to be young once again could never be granted.

Sakura leaned down towards Gaara's level, looking at the displayed sweets as well.

"Which one do you want?" she asked.

Of all the questions she had asked him today, of all the responses he had granted her, Sakura was finally given an earnest answer from the boy.

"That one," Gaara said without hesitation, pointing to one of the displays.

Before Sakura could fully stand herself back up, before she could even utter a peep, the old man in front of them had begun working fast on the asked sweet. Sakura could only watch him work frantically, and sloppily, on the dessert. Even with her calm demeanor and boy's innocence thus far, the vendor shook and worked with obvious fear in his eyes.

"Two of them, please," Sakura reminded him as he began finishing the first.

In no time, shaved ice and money were exchanged, and Sakura offered thanks for both her and Gaara to the vendor before strolling away from the stand with Gaara by her side still. With distance between them and the stand, Sakura turned once more to look at the old man when she heard a bit of commotion behind her. She watched him work with haste and panic suddenly, putting everything in the display away, along with his ingredients before closing his small shop and rushing in the opposite direction from the both of them.

To this sight, Sakura grimaced in thought. It was still early into the night, and it was painfully obvious this man didn't close shop and flee for another reason besides the small boy next to her.

' _I don't_ _understand,_ ' Sakura thought.

Gaara had done nothing, or said nothing threatening, how was it he was perceived so ill right then and there? Sakura stood there in deep thought, eyes locked still where the man had run off, and had forgotten the boy below her. Her attention was brought back to him only when she felt sand suddenly snaking around her arm, the grains aiming for one of the cups of ice she held.

"Hey, stop that!" she cried, pulling her arm back and watching the sand fall.

Though in no danger, she knew the boy below her simply wanted his treat, but she grew upset at his impatience and use of sand. Looking back down at him, she saw Gaara's gaze was narrowed once more towards her.

"Give me," he ordered, no indecisiveness in his voice.

To his broad display, Sakura's eyes widened some. It was not his place to order, or demand. anything of her. She was the adult, and he was the child, and she was going to make him realize that sooner or later. Despite whoever had raised him before, the uncaring way people treated him instead of with affection, she was not going to humor his spoiled side.

"Listen," Sakura said, kneeling down to his level once again."You don't demand for things like that, alright?"

His eyes were angry once more, and he said nothing, to which Sakura sighed.

"I know you don't know me, and I know you don't like me, but you have to believe me when I tell you I'm not here to hurt you."

Still nothing, but Sakura at the moment didn't mind. As long as he processed what she was telling him, that's all that mattered to her.

"It's alright if you want to hate me, I can live with that, but no matter what I'm here to take care of you right now. So if you are kind to me, I'll be kind to you back. We can take care of each other."

Sakura watched Gaara's narrow gaze lift up some, almost like he was now curious of her and her words.

"I think of you as a friend, even if it's only been a day," Sakura smiled softly, watching the boy's gaze morph into surprise. "Please, if you want something just ask, don't demand it. Try to use your words instead of your sand."

Not wanting to overdo it, for he was still just a kid, and probably had a hard time processing all that she just said, Sakura handed over his cup of shaved ice. The boy stared down at the red-dyed crystals for some time before Sakura spoke one more time on the matter.

"And please, no more running away like earlier."

Sakura stood, brushing the grains of sand off her knee.

"If you want to go out, that's fine, but I have to come with you."

Turning back to Gaara, she wondered if he would acknowledge this, but instead she found him eating his treat instead. Her words probably sweeping past his head. However, from the display in front of her, a small Gaara gulping down his dessert and staining his lips red from the syrup, Sakura couldn't help but smile.

' _Gaara,_ ' she thought, thinking of the older man from her time, ' _I wonder if you_ _will_ _be amused at the stories about your younger self I am going to share with you once I return._ '

Sakura began thinking of the Gaara of her time, wondering if he would believe her when she told him what she was seeing, and experiencing, the the next time she saw him. She wondered if anyone would believe her words when the time came. Surely they had to, by now the Kazekage of her time was probably sending his men to the desert, and sending word to Kakashi that her expected arrival time had passed. By now, it was probably hitting both leaders that something had gone amiss with her mission.

Sakura blinked once more, staring at the child in front of her. He had ventured a little way on his own, sitting down on a bench while he ate his dessert, and Sakura slowly followed suit. Through her steps, she could once again hear Kakashi's voice, reminding her of the importance of her mission, how Gaara specifically asked for the scroll to be delivered to his hands only, how tension was probably going to be built up between the two villages because of her careless act.

Sakura shook her head as she stepped next to Gaara.

' _No use dwelling on it now,_ ' she thought. ' _I have bigger problems to worry about at the moment._ '

Still, thinking the child next to her was one day going to be upset with her, she couldn't help but find humor in that. The reason being, an older Gaara struck a respectable fear in her, whereas the child next to her had been harmless thus far. With that, she couldn't stop herself from ruffling his hair and chortling lightly.

"Promise not to be too mad at me in the future, alright?" she joked.

To her touch, the boy emitted a low growl, a noisy warning to leave him be to enjoy his food, but it was at least better than him pulling away or swiping at her hand. For that reason alone, the small step forward, Sakura smiled at his eating form before taking a seat on the same bench. She gave him his space, planting herself on the edge while he sat on his own side. She stared at her red shaved ice, lost in thought before taking a spoonful of the dessert.

She nearly gagged.

It was way too sweet for her liking; any sensible person would find it too sweet, honestly. Taking another look at the food, she realized how drenched in red syrup the ice actually was. The old vendor had been too hasty, the food was ill-prepared, and Sakura knew all this was because of his speed to get away from the child sitting next to her. She sighed at this thought, her eyes turning once more to Gaara. For him, the sweet tooth every child carried probably adored the syrupy goodness.

' _He's probably going to be a handful tonight. All that sugar…_ '

In her mind, she wondered if at this point a mother would pull that sweetness away. Sakura wasn't sure how to feel in this scenario though. Gaara wasn't her child, he was just a friend. A friend who she now had to watch over, and it made her ponder how she should honestly feel at the moment. He ate in silence, hastily, and though he had no emotion on his face, Sakura could tell he enjoyed what was in his cup, despite it being over-indulged with sugary syrup. That image and thought, of Gaara enjoying himself, warmed her heart some and made her smile. It had been a rough few days.

For both of them.

Seeing him finish his ice, Sakura nudged her cup towards the child. His eyes landed on what she was offering quickly before looking up at her in question.

"Here," Sakura smiled softly, nudging the treat again. "You didn't get to eat much today."

Slowly, Gaara reached for what she offered. He pulled it towards him without any hesitation, holding it in his hands for some time while staring at the red ice. Sakura watched him for awhile, wondering what was going through his mind as he stared down at the food. As cautious as he was of her, his distaste of her he had shown thus far, Sakura couldn't help but smile and find humor once again in this scenario.

' _He probably thinks I did something with it._ '

As the silence grew, save for the whispers that came with the night, Sakura closed her eyes. She relished at the sudden tranquility, the way the cool breeze kept sweeping at her warm skin, the muteness around her, how at ease she was finally feeling after all that had happened thus far.

"...Thank you."

Sakura's eyes snapped open then, and they were focused entirely on the boy. Had she just heard him speak? Had that quiet gratitude actually come from him? Whether he had, he gave her no indication he had spoken, instead staring at the ice still before taking another bite. Sakura stared at him, baffled and in wonderment for awhile until a smile came to her. She was still unsure if this spoiled child had actually shown her some gratitude, or if those words had just suddenly been a voice fabricated in her mind, whatever was true didn't stop the young woman from replying.

"You're welcome."

At least she knew somewhere deep inside of him he had been taught proper manners. She just had to continue to break his ill-natured shell to get to it. Again, she smiled as she watched him eat.

' _Gaara's not a bad person._ '

Like his other cup, the soft, red ice disappeared fast behind the young boy's tongue. He eventually settled the empty cups next to him, brushing off whatever sticky residue was left from his lips onto his hands before sensing Sakura's stare on him. For her, she found it cute he had lost his sudden sense of awareness of her and his surroundings while he ate, instead focusing on the treat and its taste. Though, in the future, he would be taught that loss of awareness at any time was not a ninja way, Sakura still couldn't help but smile when his eyes met with hers.

These were his years to enjoy, so she allowed him this moment to do so, for he would soon be thrown into a cruel world where dwelling in the past, like now, may be his only source of comfort. Yet, when a smile of his own didn't match with hers, and instead his narrowing gaze had returned, Sakura knew the shelter a young, simple mind could give any child was already lost to this Gaara. This boy had already found the cruel world most parents tried to shield their children from.

' _Not found,_ ' Sakura corrected herself. ' _Thrown into._ '

He hadn't been asked whether he was ready or not to be shown how cold the world was, instead he was born into it. And there was no pulling him out of it by his father, siblings, or anyone else in his life that she knew of. Sooner or later, he was going to learn of the world's darkness, it was unfortunate to Sakura that time came for him the second he entered this world. Yet, at the same time, this young boy seemed all the stronger in her eyes. And not because of his sand, or how cautious he had learned to become of others, but simply because he had endured thus far. At least to the best of his ability at his age, and with time it would pay off with the day he won the hearts of his village and others. Stronger, and a little more interesting, to her eyes, and it made her smile grow. Which made his eyes smaller.

He was still unsure of her, and her growing smile probably confused him.

"What's wrong?" she teased him lightly. "Never seen a smile?"

A silly question, she found humor in it, but only for a second until she realized the truth behind her words. Smiles he had seen, yes. Were they thrown in his direction? Probably not. Very few, if any, were likely to have stared down at him with a grin like she had now. It was no wonder why those angry eyes of his settled on her that way now. A bigger understanding of him hit her right then and there.

He was confused by her, just as much as she was of him.

Where she was unsure how to care and watch over him, he too didn't understand where her kindness came from, or why she showed him any at all. It dawned on her then, how she had seen others talk about him today and look down at him with fear, and how she may have just shown this child the most kindness now than he had ever received in his lifetime. It was no wonder now why he kept turning an angry look her way, or why he called her a liar earlier and demanded she let him be.

He didn't understand her. He had no idea that her kindness meant well.

He didn't realize what love was.

And somehow, that thought rang like a constant bell in Sakura's head. Similar with Rasa and Gaara's relationship, as little as she knew about him, the story suddenly sounded a little more familiar. Probably from Naruto himself had Sakura heard a tale about Gaara and his misunderstanding of what the word etched into his head meant. It made her heart ache thinking the boy next to her didn't understand her kindness today, and her smile fell when she realized her goodness only came because of forces out of her control. She was somehow reliving the past, appointed to watch over Gaara simply because his father ordered her to. She wasn't even supposed to be here at this moment. The genuine care she had showed him now, and earlier today, technically did not happen in the past. If not for that unknown force that brought her here, Gaara would be living another day without a smile pointed in his direction.

' _That's just too cruel,_ ' Sakura thought.

To her frown, his piercing eyes began to let up. A smile, he was unsure how to interpret, but a frown in his direction he was more accustomed to. Thus, his body seemed to relax a bit before turning his teal orbs and head away from Sakura, simply staring out into the night in front of him. Meanwhile, Sakura was still battling these emotional thoughts in her mind. For when she remembered she was not meant to be here, another uncertainty came to her.

' _Is this alright?_ ' she asked herself. ' _Is me being here going to mess with the future?_ '

She still was unsure if she really was in the past, still wondered if this was some vivid hallucination or jutsu. But, there was also the possibility time had shifted around her picking at the back of her mind. She had read stories with this same scenario, seen movies where the protagonist is suddenly thrown back in time. It was that usual cliché these stories and movies held that suddenly came into her mind.

Altering the past never turned out well.

She tried to shake off that thought. It was out of her control, she didn't ask to come here, and doubted her presence would suddenly shake the world in a negative way. She still had doubts whether she really was stuck in the past, but reminded herself she would take whatever means she had to in order to survive and reach her way back home.

' _Taking care of Gaara for a short time won't do anything. If anything his humbleness can maybe blossom a little more earlier._ '

No matter what she told herself, there was still doubt. To this, she sighed and stared down at her twiddling thumbs. She would have to endure, and luckily for her she had a reason to preoccupy her time and thoughts to something else other than her own predicament. And this reason still sat next to her, staring silently out in front of him. She turned her head once more towards him, taking him in for a moment before remembering how uncomfortable he was of her smile.

' _Too damn bad._ ' she thought, letting that small smirk return. ' _He's gonna learn that people can smile towards him._ '

She nudged her head slightly in his direction

"Hey," she softly called.

He turned once more to look at her, his eyes shifting slightly and dropping to look at her smile before meeting with her eyes. There was still an aura about him that Sakura understood now as him being uncomfortable at her look, but that didn't stop her from grinning.

"Did you know the sky is smiling at you right now?"

Her words were playful, a joke she had learned about around his age with her own family. And despite his opposite upbringing than hers, how cold and rough everyone treated him whereas she was always welcomed with open arms and hearts, his eyes whipped just as fast towards the sky as the first time hers did when hearing such a statement. Like her, when she was his age, his eyes searched the sky for the grin she claimed the world above them to have. Like her, everything to that child was forgotten at the moment, his distaste for her, his angry eyes, his hostile aura, his cautiousness of her, all lost as curiosity overtook him. Despite everything, he looked up the same way any child would after being told such a thing.

' _His heart is in the right place,_ ' Sakura decided, her smile growing while she watched his pupils slide all over the sky.

Despite the differences, he was a child through and through. No matter how evil the world around her painted him, he looked up with the curiosity and wonder every child had. Like her first time, it didn't take him long before his eyes returned to hers. In them she could see uncertainty, curiosity still, and a little anger towards her. He probably thought her to be mocking him now, playing some sort of twisted joke with him, that's where his anger stemmed from. People had mistreated him thus far in many ways, and to him, Sakura was probably no different.

"What?" she asked, feigning innocence. "Can't you see its smile?"

Her voice was playful, meant to joke. To any child, her tone would sweep past their heads, to Gaara though, he understood the jest in her voice, and narrowed his eyes all the more towards her. Before, where his anger seemed to rattle her slightly, she this time chuckled lightly. Her teasing was innocent, but to the spoiled boy next to her, he simply glared all the more as she tried to stifle her laughter. After a minute of settling her giggles, Sakura turned back to him with a smile.

"Look again," she said, nudging her head slightly. "I promise you it's there."

He glared at her, unbelieving, still thinking her to be making fun of him. Yet, whether the strong wonders of a child's mind took hold of him again, or if he found her promise to actually be genuine, he gave her one more glower before slowly turning his eyes back to the sky.

Sakura sat there still while watching his eyes travel the sky a little more slowly. He was being much more precise with his search, trying to catch anything abnormal it held tonight than he had seen these past years. For her, it was a little bit of an awe to watch him so invested in his search. Unsure of the reason why, but maybe it was because she knew his older self to be much different. If asked, Gaara of her future would probably deny that he wasted his time as a child falling for such simple tricks, she thought. It just made her smile warm up all the more, and sure enough his eyes returned to hers.

"Found it?" she asked.

His narrowing gaze answered her question, but she still waited on the little boy to speak his own words. Minutes began to pass them again in silence, the cold breeze hitting them once more while they waited on the other to speak first. With that time, Sakura half wondered if he would grow bored of this little game. Like before, he would probably turn his head away with lost interest. Yet, he surprised her once more, his curious mind controlling him once again.

"No," he answered plainly.

His eyes wavered from her smile to eyes for a quick second before he spoke again.

"Where?"

Sakura's grin grew then, and she took a daring move by scooting her body closer towards the young boy. Though he did not protest, she stopped the second she saw his eyes shift to her body. She did not want to push her luck, and was simply happy he allowed her to close off a little space between them. She smiled down at him once more, earning his eyes back up on her before she looked straight up ahead towards the night sky. Gaara's eyes followed hers, and she pointed high up.

"There," she beamed. "Do you see it?"

He followed her finger pointed towards the moon. It was bright in the sky, crescent shape, waxing; and as soon as Gaara was sure that she was pointing to exactly that, his mad eyes were once more back on her.

"That's not a smile," he said with a hiss, upset she had toyed with him. "That's the moon."

Though she could hear animosity in his tone, Sakura still turned to him with a smile. To which, she saw his face contort slightly. He was unsure how to take in her grin. In his mind, it should not be placed so proudly across her face after catching her in a lie. He was still unsure what was going through her mind just now. Was she perhaps mad?

"Look," she said before tracing her finger across her lips. "This is my smile."

She turned back to the sky, her finger now tracing the air and shaping the crescent moon.

"You see?" she asked again. "That is the sky's smile. It's happy to see you."

He was silent, but Sakura could sense his wonderment peaking once again. He even drew his body a little closer to hers, hoping to catch her line of vision just to be sure he wasn't the delusional one. Minutes passed in silence, and the young woman took a moment to peek an eye towards him, curious to whether he enjoyed this charming tale as much as she did at his age.

"Stupid," he finally mumbled.

She wasn't sure if he mocked the scenario or was labeling her, but whichever case, she still held her smile proud and turned it once more towards him.

"Don't be so disbelieving," she said with a playful wink. "You wouldn't believe how mysterious this world is."

Moments again passed in silence, but Sakura was surprised it was the young boy again breaking it.

"...Why is it smiling?"

A silent chuckle escaped from her lips. Contrary to what he just said moments before, he was still hopeful what she said was the truth. Children liked mysteries, liked wonder, wanted to believe in magic beyond sense. She was happy to see that his cold upbringing had not tainted his mind completely. Glad she was, that he still held onto his childhood.

To his question, she hummed for a moment. He watched her intently then, for she was the first in such a long time to consider what he asked. Quick replies, whether out of fear or to please him speedily were often what was tossed his way.

"It must be happy you made a new friend."

She smiled down at him, and he returned his eyes to hers. While he didn't seem happy or thrilled to her words, his eyes showed that he held no ill will towards them either. He simply looked at her with a poker face, and as unsure as to what he was thinking, Sakura thought him more to be curious of her words than anything.

"You know..." she added after some time. "It's the same reason why I'm smiling too."

Gaara glanced at her grin for a quick second. Again, he was neither amused or displeased from her words, and instead turned his eyes slowly out in front of him after seeing her smile. And Sakura, happy with the small revelation, did the same.

With her smile, of course.

They stayed like that for some time before Sakura decided they should return home. And while he walked behind her, keeping his distance from her still, he trudged a little more closely towards her.

The gap between the two just a little bit smaller now.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beta'd by [**Errihu**](https://archiveofourown.org/users/errihu/pseuds/errihu).

It was ridiculous idea, Sakura knew, that she even try to coordinate with Gaara's schedule. The boy never slept, it was a trait that practically defined him, and she found it ironic that they had even bothered placing a bed in his room. Yet, upon their return, as soon as he again took refuge in the high window, she found herself sitting on top of the comfy mattress thinking it was placed not for his sake.

' _Maybe it's not for him,_ ' she thought. ' _It's not like Rasa can expect me to watch Gaara all night too._ '

Sakura looked up towards the window, spotting the boy staring out blankly towards the village. Despite her late start today, she would try her best to find sleep now, she decided. That way she could have an earlier start the next day.

"I'm going to sleep now," she called out towards the child.

His attention went to her, and he blinked a few times down towards her as she did the same looking up at him. A smile found her again, and a poker face on his.

"You're not afraid of the dark, are you?" she asked.

He said nothing as he kept his eyes on her, almost as if he was curious of her words. His head tilted some, but besides this the young child kept his lips sealed. Sakura would just have to assume he would be alright in the dark, if anything the bright moon illuminated the room some. Even when she flipped the light switch off, he did not protest. She looked back up at him one more time while nestling herself under the sheets.

"If any scary monsters come out, you can wake me up, ok? I'll chase them away for you," she said while smiling playfully. "Otherwise, I'm counting on you to take care of them while I sleep."

She winked at the child, hoping that like earlier he found her playful words fun. In the dark, she could only see his silhouette, so whatever expression he had, if any, would forever be a secret to her. Yet, as she buried her head into the clean, puffy pillow, his small voice echoed in the room.

"Monsters scare you?"

Sakura smiled into the pillow. She was happy the boy was opening up a little more to her.

"Of course not," she boasted. "I beat up monsters, and protect my friends from them!"

He made no reply, and Sakura was soon drifting in and out of sleep. When sleep finally found her, she was stirred out of it from time to time throughout the night. Though, nothing to completely rouse her, and she didn't sense any danger each time it did. Just random noises throughout the night that she thought may come from Gaara. She knew with certainty he couldn't find entertainment staring out of that window all night. He was the definition of restless, and represented this word all the more with his constant small steps throughout the room. He would walk past her, back and forth. There were times there would be some clatter in the room, what the young woman assumed to be him playing with his toys, and from time to time complete silence, as if he actually respected her and her wish to sleep.

There were only two times where she found herself waking completely. The first came late into the night, she swore she could hear a small child whimpering and crying. It shook her, not only because no child's tears should be left unanswered, but because there was something that sounded familiar in this child's crying. She swore she had heard these tears once before, somewhere recent, in a place that should have been forbidden to her. Yet, when her eyes shot open and she sat up in her bed, the room was dead quiet.

' _Just a dream,_ ' she assumed while resting her head back down.

The sounds of distress never returned, and she was able to find sleep again without any issue.

The second time she was torn away from the world of dreams was when a sunrise was breaking across the horizon; but it wasn't the light of dawn shining into the room that awoke her. No, it was a foreign, itchy feeling that suddenly spread across her body. She groaned with dislike when the soft sheets and blankets were slowly pulled away from her frame, the cold air making her shiver and bind her body into itself to find warmth. A small hum, almost like a hiss, made her ear twitch suddenly, and soon enough, something rough and grainy began wrapping itself around her body.

Her eyes shot open then.

It took her less than a second to shake off the sand that was on her, and instead of the earth racing for her again, hoping to encase her, it slowly retracted to the boy standing at the end of her bed. Sakura's eyes met with his, but again, she was unable to understand his empty stare.

Questions now poured into the rosette's mind while watching his sand slide from the bed back to his gourd, but above all of them, she couldn't stop from asking a same one.

' _Why?_ '

She had showed him kindness thus far, treated him like a friend yesterday, even told him that she was there for him. Yet, he had cast all of her words aside, instead trying to take her at her most vulnerable. There was no doubt in her mind what it was he was trying to do just now.

' _Why?_ ' she asked herself again, watching his eyes light up curiously for a reaction from her.

Yet, instead of asking this question, she would feign ignorance for the moment. For his sake, she would still treat him with kindness, for she always fell back to the older man she knew he would become when she had doubt. He was misunderstood now, but that would change, and hopefully she could make that occurrence happen sooner in his life.

He was a good person, even if he would try over, and over, and over again to end her life. Even if he couldn't realize it just yet, she knew better days were in store for him. Lucky for him, Sakura decided, she was there to show him change now.

She forced a smile, and his eye twitched to her expression. That was not the reaction he was clearly expecting, but his stare remained heavy and cold.

"Hey," Sakura whispered, her voice still tired. "Morning already?"

She stretched her arms and back, sighing when her bones popped and cracked back into place.

"I appreciate the wake-up call, but..."

Her smile fell then, and her stare became as deep as his while gazing into his eyes.

"...Don't use your sand on me while I sleep. The last little boy who did that didn't get any sweets for years."

Her voice was cold, and even if her words were a lie, for she had never watched any other little boy besides Gaara, there was an underlying message in her tone and stern eyes. It almost rivaled with his gaze every time she tried to touch him. To any other, her voice would probably make a child tear up, or her words would go in one ear and out the other. Yet for Gaara, who knew almost no other tone but hostile ones, understood her threat.

She knew he could, and their eyes were locked for some time.

Surprisingly, it was Gaara breaking the silence, and even more shocking, he broke it with a small giggle. His laughter was light, and Sakura was baffled that that was his reply to her. Yet, the more time passed, the louder his giggle became before Sakura sat there wide-eyed and confused at his cackle. He grew loud, a sinister smirk formed on his face, and his eyes were ominous and set entirely on her, as if he suddenly drowned himself in her puzzled orbs.

Before Sakura could react, he drew in a hearty breath and spoke.

"You're funny."

Sakura's face fell then, still puzzled, but she studied the boy with a heavy frown.

' _What is going on in your mind right now?_ ' Sakura wondered.

It was clear to her now, behind his laughter and the empty expression he used to try to hide his feelings, that his mindset was not the same as it had been yesterday. The child in front of her was the cold-blooded murderer she remembered during their Chūnin Exam.

She was quiet for some time, studying him, and him her. His smirk was still plastered on his face, and he didn't shy away from her pitying look. Instead, his eyes twitched, and his head tilted side to side before his smirk turned into a grin. Outwardly, she did not show it, but inside a small shiver ran up her spine.

"Have you ever killed someone?" he asked.

It was her turn to put on the poker face, while he now adorned a sinister smile. She was unfazed by his question; the answer was obvious to anyone who knew her to be a ninja. Yet, for the child in front of her, who should never allow his mind to dwell on such a thing let alone ask her that question, had eyes clouded with curiosity.

She knew for certain then, that he was suddenly out of his mind. _This_ , was probably the danger Rasa, and so many others had warned her about, and familiar words echoed in her mind.

" _Do not run. If you run, he will chase you._ "

Her eyebrows furrowed at the thought of those words. She would not run from Gaara, for the sake of his future self. But she did have to wonder how this Gaara came out suddenly. Was the Ichibi to blame? Was he perhaps a little unstable through a quiet night? Perhaps, while she slept, something had happened. She wouldn't know the answer unless the boy in front of her suddenly became compliant, and she knew something like that was not going to happen anytime soon.

Instead, she answered him with her movement. It was a bold act, and she only did this in certainty that he could not harm her. He could protest, that was his worse, so Sakura was willing to take the risk. She slowly reached for him while expecting him to resist, or swipe at her, but he surprisingly let her arms lift him up to her chest before she wrapped them around his small frame, carrying him towards the bathroom. He probably allowed this, for he was not right in his mind, Sakura decided, and she hoped this small contact would ease his mind.

"Let's clean you up, you're way overdue for a bath. Then we can have breakfast."

Her words, as uplifting as they might be to some, was spoken with a frown, and his reply was just as cold.

" _I've_ killed a lot of people."

Sakura said nothing more. Instead, she let her focus fall on the task at hand, taking care of Gaara, and if any doubt came, she would remember his future self.

' _He is a good_ _person_ _,_ ' she kept telling herself.

She tried to speak louder in her mind than the imaginary screams he painted in her mind.

The two were quiet while Sakura prepared Gaara for his bath, tossing his dirty, ripped clothes in the trash and scouring for a bit of soap she could find. Gaara, too, seemed to have lost his voice, and his smirk. Turning back to him, Sakura could see his distant and quiet demeanor returning.

"Cover your eyes," Sakura said, before spraying him water.

He obliged, but his hands fell as soon as the bath wand left from his head and down his back. Sakura was thorough with her rinsing, for she remembered how long it had been for him since his last wash. So, it was no surprise that the water draining below him was discolored and with little debris. However, when the water seemed to turn a deep crimson, and not let up for some time, she grew worried. His head was scarred now, sure, she understood there would be some dried blood she would be rinsing off of him. Yet, from the looks of it, the red water was not letting up.

' _Did he hurt himself somewhere else_ _last night_ _?_ ' she wondered, tearing her eyes from the drain and to the boy's eyes.

That's when she noticed something off with the boy's face. She pulled back the wand then, tilting her head side to side and trying to figure out what these new scratches on his face were… And the ones on his arms… and leg's… and stomach.

...Wait a minute.

"Ah!" Sakura suddenly cried, forcing Gaara to face her fully. "You have your sand armor on!"

As if her words were like a cue, patches of wet sand began plopping from his body. Her frown was heavy again seeing this, and even more so when Gaara did not meet with her eyes. He chose not to dwell in her pitying look, this time.

"Why?" Sakura asked. "You're just going to tire yourself out..."

Even when he said nothing, the answer was painfully obvious. Gaara still did not trust her. So, instead of sitting there and dwelling on the thought, or trying to convince him otherwise when Sakura knew he was stubborn and set on his ways, she sighed.

"Let me clean you first, then you can put it back on if it makes you feel better."

She waited, half-expecting him to refuse. Yet, with time, she watched him sigh and relax his body, patches of wet grains falling off of him. She realized her mistake then.

"Wait, wait, wait!" she suddenly cried, reaching for him. "Not here! You're going to clog-"

Before she could finish, it was like his entire body peeled from the weight of the wet sand, and Sakura sighed when she saw the immense pile covering the floor.

"-the drain," she finished her words, a groan following right after.

Her head fell then, trying to bury her light frustration. It was way too early into the morning to be dealing with something like this.

' _Patience, Sakura,_ ' she repeated over and over in her mind.

Once she had her moment, she raised her head back up, surprised Gaara's eyes were on hers. She studied him for a moment before a smirk drew up on her.

"The great, mighty Gaara. They claimed his sand to be the best defense. Little did they know that just a little water added in would be his downfall."

Her voice was playful again, but only she found humor in it while Gaara turned his head away in distaste. Her use of downfall probably irked him, and maybe even the beast within his mind. She smiled at his scowling features, finding this grumpy side of him cute in a way. At least now she was beginning to understand when he was dangerous, and when he was just annoyed with her. Right now, she was in no danger. Unlucky for him though, Sakura was feeling playful.

"Hey," she called to him while reaching for the rinsing cup behind her.

Its contents were splashed right into his face the second he turned to face her. Through his sputter, and wiping the water from his eyes, Sakura took the opportunity to nab him. Against her hold, he struggled, but the second he slipped from her grasp, she had already positioned him where she wanted him to fall. The small tub erupted with a splash of water, and Sakura was laughing wholeheartedly at the sight while Gaara growled with anger, his angry eyes on her again.

"I'm sorry," Sakura giggled, wiping a tear from her eye. "I just couldn't resist."

The young woman reached next for the soap, but her eyes went wide when she saw Gaara trying to exit out of the tub.

"No, not yet!" Sakura whined, blocking him from doing so. "We need to clean you in here. Since the drain is out of commission for the time."

"I want to get out," was Gaara's protest, still trying to climb out to the side of her.

He growled again, and even swatted at her arm when he felt the cool, liquid soap suddenly poured on top of his head.

"There!" Sakura beamed with a smile. "Now you have to stay! Let me wash your hair at least."

Gaara glared at her, but Sakura kept her smile strong as she knelt down, digging her fingers through his red locks. He flinched from time to time, not used to her touch in the slightest, and his eyes were locked on her like a hawk's, waiting for the ill-intent. Yet, it never came, and after a good scrub, his head now white with suds, Sakura sighed with content.

"See?" she asked. "Was that so bad?"

Sakura watched his hand slowly reach up towards his hair. He nabbed some of the soapy suds into his palm before staring at the bubbles. It was if this was a foreign substance to him now, and he studied the froth for some time.

"I want to get out," he repeated, still staring at the substance.

"Not yet," Sakura answered, pouring soap into a cloth this time. "Turn around, let me wash your back."

His eyes whipped from his palm and back to her stare. He was silent, studying her with curiosity and anger. He did not speak, he was frozen, but in a sudden, quick instant, his hand came flying towards her face.

"Gah!" Sakura cried out, feeling his palm trace her face with the foam he had in his hand.

She wiped her eyes quick, but not before hearing the boy once again making an exit out of the tub.

"You brat!" she said through a small chuckle. "Get back here!"

She had to admit, it was pretty clever of him to use another element to blind her since his sand did not mix with water, and she also knew it was fair payback to what she had done earlier. However, she still was not ready to call it quits yet. The young woman knew a few minute soak was not going to suffice after his long weeks without wash. So, once she was able to see again, she turned and was about to give chase, but stopped when she noticed Gaara stood frozen in the bathroom doorway.

Taking in his face, his eyes were suddenly wide, and his jaw was lightly agape, staring at nothing in front of him.

"Gaara?" she asked, noticing his silent shock.

She reached for the boy, but stopped when he flinched and ran back to the tub.

"Gaara?!" she cried, surprised and confused. "What's wrong?"

His eyes still did not settle on hers, and it puzzled her greatly why he chose to return when he had been fighting with her to get out. Again, she made a reach for him, expecting to get his eyes back on hers, and even hopefully an answer, but she stopped when there was a sudden rapping at the door. To the noise, Gaara sunk his head lower in the tub, yet his eyes were like a hidden animal's, watching for the danger. Sakura meanwhile turned towards the source of the noise, bewildered. Everyone, as far as she could tell, feared the boy. This knocking was surprising; she didn't imagine anyone coming on their free will to the lion's den so to speak. The child's reaction just seemed to clarify this all the more.

The wooden frame was struck again, shaking off Sakura's surprise.

"It's alright," Sakura said and turned towards Gaara with a reassuring smile. "Probably just someone bringing us our food or something."

His eyes went swiftly to hers while Sakura spoke, but fell back to the door out in the room the second she finished. Despite her incentive, Gaara still glared at the door all the way to the point where the rosette marched forward to open it.

"Good morning," the man on the other side said, nodding his head.

Sakura nodded back.

"Morning."

Taking in his appearance more, Sakura deciphered the man not to be that much older than her. He wore the basic ninja attire, save for a distinctive feature, a cloth hiding the left side of his face. Though she couldn't properly place it, the tanned man in front of her was no stranger. She had seen him somewhere before. Even more surprising, to her, he stood in front of her with no hesitation. His eyes were set solely on hers, and did not peer behind her in search for the little boy everyone grew anxious when seeing.

"Kazekage-sama has summoned you."

A sense of dread suddenly washed over the young woman. It made her eyes widen for a brief second, and memories flash in her mind trying to pinpoint the trouble she may be in.

' _Shit,_ ' she cursed in her mind. ' _Did he find out about Gaara running off yesterday?_ '

Still, if that was the reason Rasa had wanted to see her, the dilemma was trivial at best.

She hoped.

"Right now?" Sakura asked, earning another nod from the man.

Sakura turned her head, eyes peering past the room and into the washroom where Gaara still hid himself, his eyes glaring at the man.

"Heh," Sakura mumbled. "I might need a little time to convince Gaara to come. He can be just a little stubborn..."

Sakura finished with a shrug, eyes back on the older man.

"I will watch him for the time being."

Sakura's eyes were wide again. It was like this man, like her in the beginning, didn't realize all the trouble he was suddenly being thrown into. Or, if he did, didn't seem fazed like the way others so far had been with Gaara. It was then the young woman realized what he was.

A true ninja.

He took his order's from his lord without question, without hesitance, without the dread of knowing this could be his last moment alive.

"A-Alright," Sakura agreed. "Just let me get him dressed and explain what's going on."

Another nod from the man, a silent agreement, and Sakura softly shut the door before stepping back towards the bathroom and Gaara. His stare was still strong, but it was curious-like the second Sakura knelt down to his level and spoke.

"I need to step out for a bit. This man is going to watch over you while I'm gone."

Gaara's eyes widened then, and they went back and forth from Sakura to the door.

"You can get out now, and get dressed. Please be sure you don't-"

"I want to go with you!"

Gaara's voice suddenly drowned out her own, and she was taken slightly aback with his bidding. She said nothing while staring down at him, and he looked shaken while staring back up at her. Through his eyes, though his voice thus far had been commands, she could see him pleading with her now. Even if the word was lost to him, his silence still held a please.

"I… I want to go with you," Gaara repeated.

His voice shook then, but Sakura could see him accentuate every word. He was trying to leave her without option, that she simply _had_ to take him with her. For her though, Sakura understood his underlying message.

_I trust you more than I trust him._

A compliment in an odd way for her, yet knew deep down that it wasn't only her he would need to trust with time. However, she could be a good start, she decided, and smiled softly at the boy.

"Alright," Sakura said, nodding her head to the side. "Hurry up and get dressed then."

There was no dawdle from him then. Gaara quickly climbed from the tub for new clothes while Sakura explained the situation to the man. Luckily, he did not argue.

"Very well," was all he said, before leading the two of them out the home and outside.

Like the night before, Gaara did not leave his giant gourd behind, and still refused Sakura's help with it.

"You're going to strain your back with that giant thing, you know?" Sakura commented with her hands on her hips, watching the weight of the gourd sink the boy's back.

Gaara made no reply, he just returned a blank stare as soon as he was able to straighten himself back up and look towards her. While his look was long, Sakura couldn't help but smile and shake her head lightly.

' _Stubborn,_ ' she labeled him, before offering him her hand.

His eyes fell to her silent motion, for he was still cautious of new gestures. Her offering her hand was no different, and he stared at her palm for a brief second before looking back up at her with his usual poker face.

"Here," she said, nudging her hand again. "You can hold my hand if you want. Though, I might make you chase for it."

She playfully winked, hoping the boy would reach for her. Yet, even at her age, she realized then this was just another one of her hopeless desires, that where the boy asked to come with her earlier, she thought maybe their relationship was a little closer, that he would actually take her hand. She was reminded, as soon as he turned his eyes away from her, that he was just same cold, stubborn, scared little boy she, supposedly, met the other day.

He did not take her hand. Gave her no indication that he even cared for that contact, and instead waited on her, and the man, to walk ahead of him.

"Alright," Sakura sighed. "Maybe another time."

She would not give up just yet. She was just as stubborn as him, maybe even more so. Her friends back home could vouch for her on that, telling anyone who asked how she chased after a man for years. She turned from the little boy then, walking in step instead with the man that looked familiar to her.

"My name is Sakura, by the way, "Sakura introduced herself.

"Baki," the man replied, keeping his face forward and set towards their destination.

 _Now_ it was all the clearer to her who he was. She knew this man, remembered him from brief moments time to time throughout her entire life. While she didn't know him on a personal level, she did know he would eventually become the three Sand siblings' teacher.

"Baki-san, huh?" Sakura mumbled, turning her head to make sure Gaara, behind them, still followed.

To her glance, Gaara looked up at her, as if expecting her to speak to him. Instead of words, she gave him a giant grin, which in turn had him snapping his head and eyes to the side, a click of his tongue revealed his dislike and confusion to Sakura's random affections.

"You may see me from time to time at Kazekage-sama's home."

Baki's words were what tore Sakura's face back around and towards the tanned man, curious of what he meant.

"I assumed today wasn't your first time coming up to Gaara's room. You seemed unfazed. Yesterday, it was the exact opposite when people saw him."

Baki nodded again, understanding what Sakura was telling him. For he, like everyone else, had witnessed the same scenario. Like a true ninja though, he kept his personal feelings on the matter in check.

"Kazekage-sama has appointed me already to be Gaara-sama's teacher when he comes of age. Temari, and Kankuro-sama as well. I already work with the two older children in training."

Sakura's eyes widened, surprised the trio's teacher, and squad, had been formed this early on. Usually it wasn't until after graduation that a team and teacher was assigned. It baffled her lightly, yet it wasn't as if this news did not come into fruition. Gaara and his siblings were indeed in a squad, and Baki would eventually become their teacher. It just made her curious this had been decided so early on.

"Isn't it still too early to decide all of that yet?" Sakura asked.

Baki was quiet, trying to figure out the right words.

"A three-man team it has to be, yet there would be an outrage if two random children were forced to work alongside Gaara. People would view it as a death sentence."

Sakura frowned hard at these words.

"So, Rasa sacrifices his own children instead?" Sakura mumbled, not liking this logic.

Baki was quiet again, and Sakura knew he wouldn't reply to her question. He wouldn't perceive his lord in a bad light, despite Sakura's point.

"And why does he, everyone, assume Gaara will forever be unstable? Children grow, they change. If he has the right people in his life, has the correct teachings, he could grow to become a great man. Maybe even great enough to take his father's role one day! I don't understand why people expect him to be bad forever," Sakura said.

"Maybe that's just it," Baki spoke in a low voice. "Maybe you just don't understand. Maybe after speaking with Kazekage-sama, you'll see why our thoughts on Gaara are set the way they are."

Sakura huffed lightly, turning her head and eyes to the side and clicking her tongue in the same manner like Gaara had. And, like him, she was just as stubborn to take Baki's words seriously.

"I highly doubt that," Sakura mumbled under her breath. "I know of the kind person hidden under that shell you have all created with your neglect."

Whether Baki had heard her or not, he remained silent. Like most of the Suna men she had met, Baki was just as stoic. Walking along the golden sand with an unreadable expression, and like the others, he kept his opinions quiet and expressions hidden. The rest of the walk was silent, up until both Baki and Sakura began up the steps towards the spherical building the Kazekage worked in.

"Wait."

It was Gaara who suddenly called out, who stopped both adults in their tracks. Yet, as Sakura turned to face the small boy, she was surprised to actually see a readable expression in his wavering eyes.

Fear.

His teal orbs darted from the building's entrance to Sakura, and back and forth between the two. He was silent now, as if suddenly tongue-tied, but held a look on Sakura as soon as he noticed her attention on him. Again, he gave her a pleading gaze, even taking a step back from them before his trembling voice whispered.

"Don't make me go in there..."


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beta'd by [**Errihu**](https://archiveofourown.org/users/errihu/pseuds/errihu).

Sakura knelt down to the boy's level, studying the fear he held in his pupils. Like before, he locked his stare with hers. There was another silent plead from him, to her, not to force him inside this building. She didn't quite understand where his sudden anxiety came from, but had a sneaking suspicion it may have to do with a certain man that resided inside.

"You said you wanted to come," Sakura spoke softly to Gaara, hoping to coax him in. "Why are you changing your mind suddenly?"

The boy was silent, his eyes still settled on hers, begging her. He glanced at Baki for a moment, as if to make sure the man's eyes were somewhere else before his eyes came back to Sakura's.

"Please..." Gaara mouthed.

Sakura's eye's widened then. It shouldn't have been this point where cordiality found him. To Sakura, he was literally like a cornered animal, using whatever means he could to have mercy showed upon him. For the rosette, it was a troubling sight, regardless of his manners. For no boy should fear the man that raised them. Yet, this father made Gaara suddenly quake in his spot.

"You're afraid of seeing your father, aren't you?" Sakura whispered.

Gaara's eyes narrowed towards Sakura then. She wasn't sure if he did this because he didn't want her to believe there were people in this world that rattled him. His bravado returned then, the angry eyes were locked with hers just like so many times before. Maybe he did this because he couldn't comprehend how Sakura silently understood. Understood his likes, his wants as a child, his needs.

His fears.

"It's alright," Sakura said, bringing her hand out towards the boy.

Gaara's eyes were suddenly on her movement, watching her hand slowly reach for him. He flinched slightly when she rested her palm at the side of his head, stroking lightly. In any other scenario, where Gaara would have asked for nothing, or if he wasn't pleading with her now, he would have torn himself away from her alien hold. He only allowed her this touch because he needed something from her. He stared at her arm, trying to decipher what this contact meant, and only did his eyes return to hers when she spoke.

"You can stay out here with Baki-san then. I won't be long."

His tense body relaxed then, even with her hand still on him, and Sakura liked to think then that he mentally thanked her. She pinpointed that Gaara had a fear for his father, she had suspected as much since Shiori had mentioned Gaara could be triggered by Kankuro's look; a look that matched their dad. Still, she wondered what that fear entailed. How Rasa had earned it?

She pulled back her hand, giving Gaara a warm smile before standing.

"Behave, please. Don't run off. If you want something, ask first. Alright?"

Sakura stared down at him, hoping he was taking her words to heart. She definitely did not expect him to nod to her, but it made the young woman's smile grow all the more.

' _He's listening to me now,_ ' Sakura beamed in her mind.

"Good boy," she said, ruffling his hair a bit before marching her way towards Baki.

"Apologies," he said the minute she approached him, "I should have explained to the young lord where our destination was."

Sakura shook her head to this, glancing back towards Gaara while speaking still.

"This experience was good for him. For both of us."

A smile found Sakura then, one that Baki noticed immediately. He glanced between her and Gaara for a moment before clearing his throat.

"Kazekage-sama is waiting," he reminded her, marching past her and towards the boy.

"Right! Right!" Sakura said, now turning to jog up the stairs. "Come get me if he gets restless!"

Baki simply waved his hand to her call, signaling that he understood her, and Sakura paced herself into the building and towards Rasa's office. She didn't even give herself a moment to collect herself, or try to decipher why she was beckoned suddenly. She only realized this after one of the guards opened the door to the Kazekage's office for her.

As she stepped in, Rasa's eyes did not fall on her but were instead set towards the window behind his desk and chair. He sat there with a long look, lost in thought. At least, that was what Sakura had thought, but as the door behind her closed, he acknowledged her.

"Sakura," was all he said, a distant greeting.

Despite his eyes set to the outside world, Sakura drew near to him, hoping he would get to whatever point he needed fast so she could return to Gaara. She remained silent, waiting.

"Would you care for some tea?" he asked, with time.

Sakura sighed to this. She would do her best to be as professional as possible, despite her dislike for the man in front of her. She tried to remember his promise to her.

"You summoned me?" Sakura spoke, hoping the conversation would carry on from there.

A sigh left the man then, and he closed his eyes. It was at this moment Sakura was able to see the heavy wrinkles already forming on this man. He suddenly looked so much more worn than she remembered the other day. Certainly tired, for rest was a Kage's sacrifice. Probably even more so for this man, whose village did not flourish like the others. Though it was, and would never be, justified in Sakura's mind, she could see why Suna attacked Konoha during their exams. It came from a man who wanted so much more for his village.

Wait a minute…

Sakura blinked rapidly at the thought. That occurrence, she could try not to let it come into fruition. It was like it a sudden realization dawned on her then. She could try to change, or stop, major occurrences she knew to come.

Yet, something in the back of her mind protested this. There was a warning inside of her as well that reminded her not to alter things that drastically. Before she could dwell on those thoughts anymore, Rasa spoke.

"You must be facing such a tough battle inside your mind right now."

Sakura's thoughts were shaken off by Rasa's light spoken words, and she was surprised to see his tired eyes settled on her, she hadn't realized he was watching and studying her. To the thought of him silently understanding through her body language, that she was battling inside her mind, she narrowed her eyes towards Rasa. Much like Gaara to her at times, she didn't appreciate being interpreted so easily like an open book.

At least not by this man.

Seeing her angry made Rasa smirk lightly.

"Care to share what's on your mind?" he asked.

' _Of course,_ ' Sakura thought. ' _He is still just a_ _nother hungry man. Only my secrets will satisfy his cravings._ '

Sakura simply shook her head, answering him.

"No."

Another smirk from Rasa, followed by his eyes shutting again. It was quiet after that, almost as if the man was taking this moment to find small rest while he could. Meanwhile, Sakura stood there, upset this man stole her time. She opened her mouth to tell him that she would now take her leave if he wanted nothing from her, but it was like this lord could see through his closed eyes. As soon as her mouth opened, so did his.

"Watch the boy more closely."

Rasa's eyes opened then, narrowing this time towards Sakura. For her, it was the man she remembered meeting not too long ago. Sakura's eyes challenged him, silently trying to tell him she was doing her best.

"He was out last night. People saw him in the streets. He shouldn't be out of his room that late. Not on his own at least."

Sakura opened her mouth, about to tell him that that was a lie, but stopped short when she remembered she had been asleep.

"What would you have me do then?" Sakura asked, anger building her voice higher. "Tie him down while I sleep? Certainly you can't expect me to develop a schedule like his."

"Figure it out," was his answer, "I can't have him terrorizing the village at night anymore than I can have him doing so during the day."

Sakura stepped closer towards the man, a small sneer forming.

"You do it then!" she said. "I'll watch him during the day. Why don't you take him at night?"

Sakura watched as Rasa looked up at her with both distaste, and light humor. He actually thought her to be joking at first, but her glare clarified that this was not the case. So, he spoke to remind her.

"Gaara is your responsibility. Have you forgotten our agreement? Would you like me to remind you?"

"My responsibility?! Do you even hear yourself?! You're his father!"

Their eyes were challenging each other still, Rasa's anger was now matching with Sakura's, and both were silent while staring one another. Surprisingly, it was the lord who broke his gaze first. He took to a paper under him, a pencil in his hand, and his mind now settling on something other than the rosette. Maybe this was his way of calming down a building rage. For the smart girl, she realized this, and sighed while trying to relax herself.

' _Don't let him get to you,_ ' Sakura told herself. ' _Your blood pressure has been high lately anyway without him._ '

Plus, she had to remember it was his help she sought. But that didn't mean he was getting off the hook that easily.

"He fears you," Sakura whispered to the man, watching his pencil stop for a brief second before returning to his work. "He wouldn't even come inside the building."

"..."

"Why is that?"

Rasa sighed, perhaps bringing Sakura to his office had been a mistake, he thought then. Rubbing his temple, his eyes soon rose up to the young woman's.

"He's a spoiled child. He fears authority. He has a dislike for those that tell him _no_."

Sakura blinked a few times taking his words in. To her long silence, Rasa's eyes fell back down towards the paper.

"I think you're wrong," Sakura finally said, voice soft again.

Rasa smirked, an all knowing look on his face before he spoke.

"Do you now? Why am I not surprised?"

"I can't speak for everyone, but I did see my father as an authority figure. I think most children will see their parents in that way."

She earned Rasa's curious gaze then.

"...but I didn't fear him."

They locked eyes again, Sakura even smiling a little as she spoke.

"Quite the opposite actually. I loved him. I love my father with all of my heart. Even when he yelled at me, or told me no. Not once in my life did it cross my mind that I should be afraid of my father."

Quiet again, but their eyes were still on one another, and Sakura was surprised Rasa looked up at her with such wonder. Did her words truly baffle him? Was he clueless to what she was telling him? If that were true, then this man was just as lost with love as much as his son.

' _No,_ ' Sakura thought suddenly. ' _He has experienced love at least once. With three kids, he had to have…_ '

"I think your late wife would be devastated if she knew that her son was afraid of you."

Sakura knew her words were going to be like a hit to his face. And it truly was like a blow, for his eyes widened for a moment and his jaw hung slightly. Meanwhile, Sakura shrugged, her eyes now to the side of her.

"It would have probably torn her up to see how you, his siblings, the village… How everyone treats him."

Rasa said nothing, just simply stared at the girl. For Sakura, she hoped this silence meant her words were sinking in. That this proud man may take to heart what she was telling him, and to be a better father. Her hopes of that shattered though with his next words.

"Karura had no attachment to Gaara."

It was Sakura's turn to stare wide-eyed at the man. Utterly shocked that Rasa could even say such a thing, and she gazed at the man for a while, hoping she could catch the lie that he was surely saying now. Yet, his expression was blank, and it made the young woman's heart sink at the idea he was telling her.

' _That's just too cruel…_ ' Sakura thought.

Sakura shook her thoughts then, eyes once again glaring at the man.

"She had to have-"

"She didn't," Rasa said, cutting Sakura off. "Gaara's birth served only one purpose. In the end, she lost her life because of him, and her dying breath was a curse on this village."

The older man spoke these words fast, and Sakura had strained herself to take it all in. Not because his speech was speedy, but because everything he was telling her invoked some sort of shock from her, as well as heartache. It was a little clearer to her why Gaara's sister claimed he was the reason for their mother's death, why she blamed him for losing her mother. Above that, she couldn't fathom the thought of Karura going through this ordeal just to claim she did so for no reason.

"Karura realized in the end all that she was sacrificing just to have Gaara. Her wish for him wasn't to live a long, healthy life, but instead to exist as a symbol of the hatred she held for us all… For what we put her through. Forced her to do..." Rasa finished his words almost in a whisper, obviously shaken for whatever reason towards the end of his speech.

Perhaps he was rattled with some sort of guilt, Sakura assumed. His eyes were suddenly away from her, staring down at his work, but his pencil was still. He didn't take the moment to dwell on Sakura's feelings at the sudden revelation. Perhaps, like Gaara, he didn't wish for her pity. However, it was a small anger, not sympathy, that burned in her eyes hearing about this.

Was recognition too much for Gaara to ask? Was it this story that formed the quiet Kazekage she knew from her time? No wonder he had strive so hard to take a hold of that position. It was still the little boy, from now, that wanted just someone, anyone, to glance his way and note his existence. Why did his mother feel the need to rob him of that the second he came into the world?

"You won't tell him that, right?" Sakura asked, concerned. "At least give him some peace that she-"

"He already knows."

A harsh chill hit Sakura, and she stood frozen in her spot. Heartache still for the boy, and an anger too for the man in front of her.

"Why?" she spat. "For what purpose did you find it fit to tell him? He's already suffering as it is!"

Rasa chewed on his lip, quiet. Sakura wouldn't allow that for him though.

"Why?!" she demanded.

"Like his sister, Gaara's uncle saved his last breath to emphasize to that child just how much everyone despised him, and his existence." Rasa said, lifting his eyes back up to Sakura's before finishing. "A younger brother's love robbed by a boy who took his sister's life. That's why."

Rasa pointed the blame at someone else, but Sakura didn't even let a second pass before she swung her arm through the air, gritting her teeth in anger.

"He didn't ask for it! For any of this! Why…?" Sakura bit her lip, emotions making her voice bounce from high to low. "Why did you put the Ichibi into him without his consent? He was just a baby… Nobody would choose that sort of path. Nobody would want to go through what Gaara has to endure everyday."

Rasa was silent, instead resting his head now into the palm of his hand while his eyes shook under him.

"Your own son. Your own flesh and blood."

Rasa moved his hand quick to a drawer next to him, seizing something within it and giving it a squeeze. It was hidden from Sakura's eyes.

"Why?" she whispered, her eyes hot.

Rasa took a deep breath in before releasing it. His eyes were closed, as if he was searching for that answer as well. He gave the item in his drawer another squeeze before bringing narrowed eyes to meet with Sakura's own. His look was stern once more, and his voice did not shake when he finally answered.

"For my _village_."

To Sakura, it was just another cruel reply. It told her that Gaara's sole purpose was nothing more to Rasa than him gaining an upper-hand. However, Gaara was no longer a tool he could control. Rasa had miscalculated, and now had a ticking time-bomb within his village. Somewhere along the way, this father's neglect and ignorance had probably caused more damage than all he had hoped to achieve with Gaara and the Ichibi. If it weren't for the future she knew Gaara would one day have, she may have agreed with this man in front of her that this child was a lost cause.

So, Sakura was given some explanations. Some reasons what made Gaara the way he was. She was still positive Rasa hadn't informed her of all the details. His secrets were still his, but Sakura had another question come out through the silence.

"And you?" she asked, nodding her head towards Rasa.

He blinked once, twice. He tried to her understand her solemn inquiry, but couldn't.

"What are you asking?" he finally said.

"I know why the villagers hate him. I know why Temari and Kankuro hate him. I know why his mother hated him, and I know why his uncle did too."

Another blink.

"What is your reason?" Sakura finished.

"..."

"Is it because you think he took Karura from you?"

With his hand still in his desk drawer, Rasa gave the item in hand another tight squeeze. His face contorted under Sakura's look, and a heavy breath flared his nostrils. She had hit a nerve.

"Gaara wasn't the one who took her," Sakura continued, glaring. "It was _you_."

To the rosette, the finger of blame should be pointed at Rasa. These pointless deaths, the villagers constant fear and dread inside these walls, the loss of his wife, all came from Rasa and a rash decision. And yet, it was him who walked the streets with praise while Gaara suffered the consequences. Rasa was quiet to Sakura's blame, his eye's still on her.

For her, she understood the dangerous world, but this man had been stupid trying to obtain a power he couldn't control, and it was Gaara who suffered unfairly because of it. This made her angry.

"You just _had_ to have him, and now you do," Sakura hissed. "Was it all worth it? All these deaths?"

Another squeeze.

"There are many things I had to let go of. For my village," Rasa replied coldly.

Sakura turned her eyes to the window nearest to her, gaze scouring the outside.

"And yet, the buildings and people sway," Sakura said, her eyes returning to Rasa. "They will all fall eventually."

Rasa wasn't blind to her words; he knew the message she was conveying. Karura's sacrifice, the Ichibi inside of Gaara, and all the lost lives had been for naught. The village was no better through Rasa's decision.

Only worse.

Another nerve struck. Not because she shed light on the situation, but because her words were like a constant, ringing bell he had in his own mind.

Everyday.

The plans he had for Gaara had been a failure since the beginning, and worse, it brought more damage and ruins to his already crumbling home. Sakura was naive if she thought she was shedding some sort of new knowledge onto him, but for some reason, her understanding irked him. If his stupid decision was this obvious to her, a stranger, how did everyone else view him and his choices? Did they all share her thought pattern, but bit their tongues for his sake? Did this pink haired woman speak what they all thought?

Another blow, and it made Rasa crack for a moment.

From the drawer to his desk, he slammed an item hard against the wood. Sakura stared at the item shadowed in his hand curiously, it was a mixture of a white and red. She turned back to his eyes, catching a heinous glint in his orbs. He held a smirk now, as if the knowledge he was now going to share would be so much more of an impact than anything she had said thus far. Maybe that was where that glint and smirk came from. Behind all of that, she could see a man suddenly unhinged. Whatever he was going to tell her now had not been his previous intention when calling her here. She had forced this out of him, and she watched as he opened his mouth.

"You-"

A knock at the door interrupted Rasa, and both him and Sakura's attention was drawn by the man entering the office. It was Baki, and while his face was passive, Sakura's stomach twisted in anxiety.

' _Please don't say he ran off…_ ' Sakura's mind shook.

"Pardon my interruption Kazekage-sama, Sakura-san," Baki said with a bow. " _He_ asked me to come and get you, that he wishes to go now."

Sakura's eyes widened in light surprise. She was grateful that he had actually listened to her and didn't run off on his own. Her eyes fell back to the Kazekage and what he gripped in his hands, but on his desk was nothing but papers now. Rasa had slipped the item back into his desk with Baki's interruption. His disheveled look was now gone and instead a calm and collected leader sat in front of her.

"Was there something else you..." Sakura began to ask, but stopped when Rasa waved a passive hand.

"No," he mumbled, eyes away from her. "We're done here."

Though there was something poking at her mind to ask Rasa what he was about to show her, Sakura forced herself to just nod at the man. She didn't want to push her luck with Gaara's patience, so instead strode towards the door Baki held open for her. She stopped just in front of the ninja when she remembered what he had told her earlier.

"I suppose I will be seeing you again soon with Gaara's training."

Baki opened his mouth to reply to Sakura's assumption, but was stopped by Rasa's own.

"Baki does not observe Gaara's training. Only Temari and Kankuro's."

Sakura took a step back to better look at Rasa,

"But then how is he taught teamwork? He needs to learn his siblings' strengths and weak points, and they his. They all need to..." Sakura slowed her words to a stop when she saw Rasa chuckling at her like a fool.

"You're dismissed, Sakura," he said, hinting for her to go. "I'll let you know beforehand when I feel a need to train the boy."

Sakura narrowed her eyes at the man, about to emphasize again the importance of Gaara training with his siblings. Bonds formed within teams, and Sakura hoped the three children's own could begin soon. Yet, Rasa spoke above her.

"Go. He shouldn't be left alone."

Sakura pouted and huffed lightly, but turned and stomped out instead of retaliating. This Kazekage was more infuriating than Kakashi could be most of the time, and obviously undermine her simply because he thought himself better than her. Just another brat like his children.

Behind her, Baki closed the door to the office, sealing himself and his lord inside. Surprisingly, the young ninja took this moment to speak his mind.

"She views Gaara differently from the rest of us. She will smile in his direction."

Rasa had turned his eyes back to the window and on his village, just like when Sakura first entered.

"She is naive. She thinks she has seen all sides of him," Rasa said. "Wait until a full moon a comes..."

Baki couldn't help but notice the small smirk rise on Rasa's face, before interrupting the Kazekage's thoughts with his voice.

"Did you mention to her what happened last night?"

Rasa sighed before turning back to his desk drawer and pulling out the item he held in his hand when Sakura was there.

"She will learn," Rasa repeated. "She is stubborn, but will see with time. There's no need for me to tell her. Gaara will show her."

Rasa pulled out the white headband, rubbing his thumb against the metal plate that bore the village's symbol before eyeing the splattered blood that stained it. He was quiet for some time, lost in his thoughts before calling for Baki's attention.

"I need you to watch Temari, and Kankuro, for the time being."

A new order from his lord, and Baki agreed to it without hesitation, but did ask a justified question.

"What would you like me to tell them if they ask about Shiori?"

The metal plate was brushed one more time by Rasa before the headband was stuffed back into his desk.

"Just tell them the truth."

Rasa turned to look up at Baki.

"That Gaara killed her last night."

* * *

"That man..." Sakura mumbled under her breath.

She stopped as soon as she was outside again, eyes wincing to the bright sun. She looked down the flight of stairs, searching for the little boy while still fuming lightly in her mind. As much as she had been hoping to grasp Gaara's life scenario with more understanding, she couldn't stop herself from becoming upset and disheartened over some knowledge Rasa had shared.

Particularly the one about his mother.

"Is there really nobody in this world that loves him?"

Another painful thought, and Sakura tried to shake it off once she spotted said boy standing off to the side at the bottom of the stairs, his back turned to her. She began her way towards him.

"Gaara," she called as soon as she was close enough. "Sorry I took so long."

Despite her thoughts, despite her heartache, she formed a smile.

' _Everything will change eventually,_ ' she reminded herself.

He didn't reply, no surprise to her, but she stopped short just behind him. From her angle, she could see he was holding something, and his eyes and attention was sorely on the item in his hand than on her.

"What are you holding?" she asked, curious as to what he could have found out here that was entertaining.

He was quiet to her question, and she didn't think him to answer her. Yet, no matter what understanding she learned about him at any given time, he always seemed to surprise her.

"I don't know," he said, eyes still on what he held.

"Can I see then? Maybe I know what it is," she said, kneeling down to his level.

His curious mind heeded to her vocal beckon, and he turned to show her what he had plucked in his two fingers. It was a lot bigger than Sakura expected, it was black as night, and it was currently giving Gaara's defense a feverish workout as it kept trying to strike at the hand, that held it, with its tail. The scenario in front of her made Sakura bolt upright, and she shivered at the scorpion that still had Gaara's attention.

' _Those pincers!_ ' Sakura screamed in her mind while trying to suppress another cold shiver.

She didn't care how much more strength she had in her finger than the creature had, those crawly things still freaked her out, and this one was so huge and foreboding! Yet, that nasty feeling left when she saw Gaara's sand lightly spring forward every time the animal brought its stinger to strike at his hand.

"Hey," Sakura said, bringing her hand forward towards the boy to get his attention, "put it down now."

Gaara instead tilted his head side to side, studying the scorpion even more and drawing it up to his eye level. It made Sakura's stomach do a flip.

"Why?" Gaara finally asked, his eyes sliding to meet with hers.

' _Because all those legs are creeping me out!_ ' Sakura screamed in her mind, but settled with other choice words.

"Because that's a scorpion. They are dangerous!"

As if her words weren't emphasis enough, she gestured towards the scorpion again, hoping Gaara could understand why it struck at his hand. Even if his sand forbade the creature's strike, she still dreaded the thought of Gaara getting stung and becoming ill because of this.

His eyes did slide back to the creature, and he took more notice how it constantly struck for his hand.

"Dangerous," the boy mumbled, head and eyes still tilting and studying the creature.

After another minute, and Gaara showing no sign of letting go, Sakura reached for him, hoping to knock the creature out of his hand. She stopped, and stepped back, when a small wave of sand circled around Gaara before encasing the scorpion. She watched with wide eyes as his sand made a small implosion within his palms. There was a small, demented smile on the boy as his sand retracted and fluids and bits of the creature fell from his hand. This look fell and disappeared, for the time, once he turned to look back at Sakura.

She was quiet for the moment when they locked eyes, surprised he had just killed the scorpion in his hand.

"Why?" she asked, upset he had done that.

Even if it was just an animal, his impulse to kill just to be rid of something that easily was the reason why people feared him. This behavior shouldn't have been the one he brought forth to solve a problem. He should have hesitance in killing.

He was a kid; he was supposed to have innocence.

"Why did you do that?" she asked again, his remorseless gaze looking up towards her.

"It was weak," he answered, his eyes falling to the side of him as if he found interest somewhere off in the distance. "You lied. Again."

Sakura's anger was replaced with confusion, and before she could even ask, Gaara spoke.

"You're suppose to kill dangerous things, before they kill you. But it wasn't dangerous."

His eyes went back up to her then, watching her as if he was waiting for some sort of reaction or apology.

"Then why did you kill it?"

His eyes went past her, to an office high above her.

"It tried to hurt me, so I hurt it back."

Sakura's eyes widened then. Somehow, though she couldn't quite grip what he was telling her, she knew there was a blame to the world around him for that thinking. So, she knelt down once more to level, earning back his eyes.

"I know this may be hard for you to believe, but that sort of thinking is wrong," Sakura said, and Gaara narrowed his eyes to her words.

He was confused, he didn't understand. It made him angry, and Sakura mentally cursed all those that taught this little boy such a backwards lesson.

"There will always be people that want to hurt you." Sakura said, pausing a taking a breath in before continuing her words. "There will be people who don't mean to hurt you, but still slip up and do."

His eyes glared all the more towards the rosette because for him no such person existed. People purposely caused him emotional distress, and tried to do the same to him physically. He didn't understand what she meant by there would be people who didn't want to hurt him.

 _Everyone_ wanted to hurt him.

"But just because they do it, doesn't mean you should stoop to their level."

Sakura watched his gaze, hoping there was some understanding she could see in his eyes. Yet, he was silent and blinked while staring at her. She took another bold move then, and brought her finger to the boy's chest. His nose flared when her digit poked where his heart would be, but other than that, he stood there, letting her touch him.

"It hurts, right here. Doesn't it?" she asked, and watched as his face morphed into disbelief and confusion.

He stepped back from her and her finger then, trying to reject the thought that she understood him and his pain. Sakura meanwhile brought her hand to her own chest.

"I've felt it too. I've been hurt many times. I've been hurt by people who hated me, people who wished me dead."

Gaara gazed at her hand and back to eyes, invested more to her words now.

"I've been hurt by people who I loved, and loved me back," Sakura said, forcing a soft smile on her face while mentally pushing down some bad memories. "But the last thing I ever wanted was for them to hurt like they hurt me. There was no way I could bring myself to hurt them back."

His eyes narrowed again then. It was still too early for him to understand, so Sakura sighed instead with another smile and spoke with shorter words.

"Don't kill. It won't help that pain in your heart."

Sakura stood then, brushing her knees off again before looking back at Gaara.

"You might regret it one day, too."

She smiled down at him, arm reaching to brush his hair. She dropped her arm though when he recognized the motion and slapped her arm way from touching him. She paid his rejection no mind.

"Try not to hurt anyone," Sakura emphasized again. "If you're hurting. If you're unsure of something. Just come to me, I promise I'll help you."

Gaara's angry gaze was away from her, looking once more to the side of him. She knew he had heard her though, and understood what she was saying. They were quiet for some time, for Sakura hoped the boy would reply while his wish was for her to shut up and stop confusing him. After some time, Sakura shrugged and smiled.

"I don't like your father either."

Gaara's eyes widened then for a brief moment before turning once again towards Sakura. By then, she had her back towards him and had already began her walk towards the village shops, she had a few new things in mind now.

"Let's go," she called for him to hear. "If you're quick enough, I'll let you hold my hand."

Unknown to her, he watched her for a time in his spot. Her words swimming through his mind while he tried to grasp her meanings to it all. Yet, as she began to disappear down the road, he used his sand to transport himself just behind her. He didn't walk next to her like she always hoped he would, but he was a few feet closer to her while he followed her back, his mind still full.

Though, above it all, he watched her empty hand sway to her movements. Her invitation to hold it still ringing in his head.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beta'd by [**Errihu**](https://archiveofourown.org/users/errihu/pseuds/errihu).

"Please, just one more!"

"I'm sorry, but I just can't."

Sakura was currently pouting at the pharmacist behind the counter. He glared at her, unbelieving she would even be demanding more.

"You do realize the toll they take on the body?" the man asked, trying to enlighten the young woman.

For Sakura though, who was wise with medicine, it was like a slap across the face. So, she fumed.

"Of course I know! I even know how to concoct my own if I had a means for the ingredients!" Sakura said, shaking the small cloth that held said pills in the man's face.

The man shrugged, unbelieving.

"Then, go make your own because I'm not allowed to sell you any more than two."

Sakura was aware of the rules. The misuse of pills had deathly consequences, and the ones she now stuffing into her pocket were no different. They were able to replenish her chakra, to keep her going for a few days straight. Yet, at the end of their effect, complete exhaustion would hit her body.

Hard.

That didn't stop her pouting though. Despite her teachings, she thought her body stronger than most others, and her will even greater.

' _I need them,_ ' she thought, turning her head and eyes back towards the glass doors and windows.

The little redheaded boy she spotted was right where she left him, still where she asked him to stay. He was taking notice of nothing around him, yet when people past by and spotted the child, their feet scurried quicker. To this, she narrowed her eyes, wondering if anything went through his mind when this happened, or if he completely ignored it. She watched his body shuffle lightly in his spot.

' _Hurry up,_ ' her mind told her. ' _It won't be good if he becomes impatient._ '

She was in a dilemma, and the man in front of her wasn't budging. Rasa had told her to watch Gaara more closely at night, and these pills had become the only solution she could think of at that moment. Yet, two wouldn't help her in the long run. If she didn't have another person waiting on her, one who would run away the second he grew bored, she would easily have the time to break the man in front of her and have him cave in to her.

' _Another day,_ ' she decided, forking over her cash reluctantly. ' _I'll just save these two for an emergency._ '

The pills were an answer, for now. She would think of something else to help her with the nights in the long run. Coffee wasn't as restricted here, right? Sakura sighed to that idea, chuckling at the thought while stepping back out to meet the boy. Their eyes met when she stepped towards him, and she was about to speak when a shrill cry came from the road across from them. More villagers caught sight of Gaara, and like everyone else, they vanished in a blink of an eye. Sakura merely shook her head to this.

' _Cowards,_ ' she thought. ' _Maybe I should bring Gaara inside. I bet that pharmacist would change his mind real quick, then._ '

She chuckled lightly again at the thought, but shook off the idea when she turned back to look at Gaara. Doing that would not help her cause in the slightest. She wanted both child, and others, to see the good in him.

"Want to see what I got?" she asked, reaching in her pocket and pulling out the folded cloth.

Gaara didn't reply, but still turned to watch her hand, a curious mind taking a hold of him once more.

"Look!" she beamed, showing off the olive colored, round pills.

They were uninviting to look, and even had a little bit of a foul smell. Still, the child stepped closer, tilting his head from side to side while peering at the pills. That was all it took from him for Sakura to start elaborating on what they were and their purpose. Obviously, she was the more enthusiastic with this lesson than he was. Medicine and its properties excited her more than the average person. Still, after her little pompous chatter, even if she had lost him with her long words and odd medical terms long ago, he stepped back and nodded towards her with a blank expression, signaling to her that he had listened and tried to take in her knowledge. It made her smile shine brightly.

"I have one more place to go," she said while stuffing the pills back into her pocket, "We can head back home afterward."

She didn't wait for a reply, or even a nod from him. Instead she waltzed right past him, expecting him to follow. In her book, an obedient Gaara was a good day, and so far the child hadn't protested against anything but seeing his father.

"I'll let you hold my hand if you can catch it," she called back to him again.

The hint was no longer subtle, but damn it if she wasn't stubborn. Persistence was her middle name, and even if Gaara didn't reach for her, there was still a message being sent him through her words. _I'm here for you_. Or, something along that line, she liked to think.

Their walk to the next store was no different from the one to the pharmacy. Gaara hadn't made an attempt to reach for her, and instead the two walked in silence, his steps still behind her. Though, she didn't pay any of it any mind. As soon as they were in front of their destination, Sakura sighed and tilted her head at the small shop.

When asking for a library, the pharmacist had told her Suna had none, and instead pointed her in this direction for a book store. Yet, the building was small, and tattered. It left her feeling slightly disappointed, for she hoped to find answers here. However, that thought left her when she suddenly heard murmurs behind her.

"Look, that's it over there..."

"What's that monster doing out?"

Sakura turned, spotting a group of people across the road. Though they hid their mouths, their voices could easily be heard. Their harsh whispers had forgotten civility, and if her hearing could catch them, so too could the little boy next to her. She managed a quick glance towards Gaara, but unlike her he kept his back turned towards the group. His eyes and face were passive as he stared towards the book store. It made her wonder if he had learned to ignore such cold comments, but it also made her narrow her eyes towards the small group. They had no fair reason to make such murmurs towards Gaara, whether he could hear them or not. Where had their honor gone for them to provoke a child?

"So scary. We should go before it decides to attack."

From that last comment, Sakura was suddenly blinded by anger. Her eyes were quick scouring the ground around her, and as soon as she spotted a small stone, she immediately poured some of her chakra into her foot and leg before kicking the rock towards the group. The young woman smirked when the pebble whistled from her kick, flying past the people and just missing them by centimeters. The small stone exploded into a building wall, forming a small crater, and the party gawked at the damage before turning to look back at the pink haired woman.

Sakura smirked at their frightened faces, her eyes still glaring towards them.

"Your voices are loud, and annoying!" Sakura thickly said. "Next time I hear you, I'll be sure to knock you quiet!"

That was all that was needed to be said before the group quickly tried to separate themselves from Sakura's scowl and threat. Still, despite themselves, one of them couldn't stop from babbling out.

"Great, now we have two monsters to worry about."

They disappeared behind a corner, but Sakura was still fuming and hollering as if they were still there.

"Cowards!" she called towards the nothing now, "You're all so obsessed with monsters that I'll show you a monster next time I hear your stupid voices! Shannaro!"

Her loud ramblings went on for a few minutes, and while the group was far by gone now, Gaara was the only witness to her words. Yet, he still had his back turned to her, his expression impassive. The whole scenario seemed to invoke nothing from him. That, or he did well to hide his feelings on the inside.

Sakura's outburst only came to a stop when a shopkeep came out to inspect the damage the rosette had done to his shop's wall. At that point, the woman decided then she had said that was needed to be said, and hurriedly tried to shuffle the boy into the book store lest they become the suspects. She had made a reach for his hand, and he protested once more against her touch and her forceful pull.

"I'm not allowed in there!" he hissed, trying to pull himself away from Sakura's grasp.

His words didn't stop her, if anything she tugged him a little harder towards the doors.

' _I am not going to_ _get in trouble with your father for a second time today,_ ' was Sakura's only thinking.

"I think we can make an exception today," Sakura replied to Gaara, ushering the little boy inside.

Yet, once in the store, Sakura froze. With a hold still on Gaara's hand, she gripped him a little tighter upon looking at the small selection of books around her. Once again, she was dispirited at the sight. _This_ was where Suna held knowledge for others to learn? It was a pathetic shop, and she was almost certain she would not find her answers here. A sense of lost hit her once again, and her fingers dug a little more into Gaara's hand. For her, he steadied her a little, he was suddenly her support. Meanwhile, Gaara stood frozen and felt just as misplaced as her.

Sakura's touch was conflicting in Gaara's mind. It was an alien feel for him, to have someone holding onto him so desperately. It made his stomach sick, his mind rattle, his heart shake, yet all the while making him lean a little more into her hold. There was suddenly a sense of being needed by another that the boy had never felt in his entire life, and, for a moment, he didn't want to pull away. Yet, as soon as he recognized that he liked the feeling, confusion settled in followed by uncertainty, and then fear. He couldn't recognize Sakura's meaning, and tore himself from her hold then. Still unsure what her grip meant.

Sakura's silent shock washed away when she felt the boy pull himself hard from hold. It was then the woman realized just how long she had probably been digging her sharp nails into him.

"Ah, I'm sorry," she quickly apologized.

The boy only kept his back turned and hunched away from her, eyes towards the ground.

"Are you alright, Gaara?" she quickly asked.

"Gaara…?"

Another voice hit Sakura's ears then, and the rosette looked up to stare at the wide-eyed shop owner. His eyes were fast going back and forth between Sakura and the boy, and the rosette forced a reassuring smile when the man's eyes locked with hers. He recognized Gaara, and the fear that was in everyone upon seeing this little boy was not lost in this man.

"Heh..." he forced a smile on his own face, though his eyes still shook.

Slowly, he brought a finger towards a door to the side of him.

"I'll-I'll be in the back if you need anything," the shopkeep said through a shaking voice. "P-Please... take your time looking around."

Before Sakura could speak, to defend the boy once again with the promise that he would behave, the man had disappeared behind the closed door. There was audible, loud click, and Sakura had a sneaking suspicion she could now wipe the store clean without anyone batting an eye.

"Of course," the young woman mumbled, rubbing her temple some before turning to look back at Gaara.

He still hadn't moved. Both his head, and back, were hanging, and Sakura frowned at the sight. He looked suddenly defeated, and she was unsure why, or if she was to blame.

"It's just me in here," she reminded him, hoping to lift up whatever spirits he had left, "you can look around if you want. Maybe you'll find something interesting."

His head and back slowly straightened then, and she wanted to believe he was happy and curious like a child would be hearing her. Yet, he never turned to her, did not even move, to which Sakura merely shrugged. Her search here would not be a long one, he would only be out of his comfort zone for a little bit.

This thought struck out more to her when she saw the three, old bookshelves. Though there were still many, and quite the assortment of genres, she knew this small shop was pitiful compared to Konoha's. Was this was suppose to be where Suna ninja gained more knowledge, she questioned again in her mind. There had been a running joke in her village she once caught a waft of in her younger years, one that spoke of Suna men being so tan because they trained more outside than they spent learning inside. Her thoughts were putting the joke more lightly, of course. Still, she knew the mockery to be directed towards the sand ninja, to say they had no smarts. Working with them throughout the years, she was quick to realize that joke held no true aspects of Suna ninja. There were geniuses in Konoha, and there were idiots in Konoha. That fact was just as true in Suna.

Yet, as she took each book into her hand, her search continuing, it was that joke that kept coming to her mind. Not because she found ninja here to be stupid, but because one of their sources for extending their knowledge was limited to three shelves. Grabbing another book, Sakura took a moment to study the pricing. Her frown heavy when she realized the high expense of these books. How did this store even survive this economy?

"Probably only the rich here can afford knowledge," Sakura sighed.

Her mission here was to find books about her predicament, or at least ones that related to it. She doubted she could find a direct answer, but hoped to become enlightened to what jutsu had been placed on her.

' _If it even is one..._ ' she reminded herself. ' _Maybe I've just lost my mind._ '

Even if she expected it the second she glanced at the small store, it still brought her spirits down to see the only books revolving around time, or finding oneself back into the past, were simple fictional stories read for entertainment. Regardless, she grabbed a hold of them, and even nabbed some scrolls she thought may relate to time. Thinking at this point that anything could help her.

Walking down towards the last shelf, Sakura smiled when she saw Gaara had left his spot to venture into this new territory. His curious mind had taken a hold of him once more, and he had followed it towards one of the books.

"What'cha got there?" Sakura called towards the boy, making her way slowly towards him.

The boy ignored her, simply staring at the words and tilting his head back and forth. The cover was a bright orange, inviting to any child, but the pages were thick, and the rosette wondered if he could even read that well. Through his frown, and curious gaze, she doubted he was understanding the pages.

' _Wait a minute..._ ' she thought, eyeing the cover a little more closely.

She knew this book. She was exposed to it, or the cover at least, at a young age. As soon as she was certain that this book was the exact same her old teacher buried his nose in at every given chance, she nabbed the book out of the boy's hold. He protested to this with a low growl, narrowing his eyes towards her in a threat. Yet, instead of him, Sakura's eyes were on the book, reading the same page that Gaara was.

" _Kiss me,"_ _Junichi_ _murmured,_ _his_ _eyes glazed._

 _Understanding his notion before he even spoke it,_ _Naomi_ _tilted her head and dropped her mouth in the same fashion. She closed her eyes and waited for_ _him_ _to connect them. She couldn't help but shiver at the way he was whispering her name, or how urgent his demand sounded_ _when_ _he told her to kiss him. When she felt_ _his_ _lips meet hers, her body relaxed and melted_ _into_ _his. Where she had her hands on his cheeks, they slowly began to wrap themselves around his neck, pulling him_ _in_ _closer._ _For him, his hands had found the opening in her shirt, and slowly his fingers traveled up the bare skin of her stomach before he cupped her-_ "

Sakura's eyes stopped when she saw small hands reaching for the book.

"Give it back," Gaara lightly whined. "I was reading it first."

Nope!

Sakura slammed the book then, face ablaze with heat for what she had just read, and that burn seemed to only grow knowing the little boy below her had been trying to read the same passage. Again, she tore the book away from his curious hands while he narrowed his eyes angrily towards her.

"Why is your face all red?" he asked.

"That uh… this..." Sakura mumbled, before stuffing the book away on the highest part of the shelf. "This isn't a book for kids to be reading."

"Why?"

Sakura had wanted to roll her eyes to the scenario. Of course Gaara would pick this moment to open up a little more to her. It would have to be this embarrassing moment that he would ask questions. However, it was only a burning blush that morphed her face, and she turned back to the shelf to hide this from the curious child. Her eyes instead scoured for something else to distract him with.

"Uhhh… That's because..." she mumbled, pausing before another colorful book hit her eyes.

' _Perfect!_ ' she thought, pulling the small book out and shoving it into Gaara's hands.

"Because it doesn't have pictures like this one does! This one is much interesting, right? Ooo, all these pretty, innocent, kid-friendly pictures."

Sakura shut her mouth when she realized she was simply mumbling. She watched as Gaara glanced between the pictures and words of the book. With time, his frown grew heavy and his eyes began to narrow before he tore his gaze away.

"What's wrong?" Sakura asked.

Gaara didn't answer, only keeping his eyes and distasteful look to the side of him. To this, Sakura nodded her head thinking she understood the reason behind this sudden change in him.

"You can't read it, can you?" she asked while tilting her head.

His answer was silence, and his face morphed as if he were suddenly in pain. Seeing this, Sakura was quick to reassure him.

"It's alright," she said, taking the book from his hands.

He didn't protest at her nabbing this one away.

"Since I made you come with me on these boring errands, I'll buy you this book and read it to you. How's that sound?" Sakura said, a smile brightening her face and voice.

Still, Gaara said nothing, keeping his gaze away from her and tugging the shirt around his stomach in discomfort. Sakura was unsure what his painful silence meant, so she knelt to his level before tilting her head to meet with his eyes. He looked at her for a moment, almost surprised of her presence, before his angry gaze returned. To this, she really was clueless to what he was emotionally feeling and thinking, but still smiled at him.

"Come on, let's go get something to eat. We haven't eaten all day!"

For her, she assumed that painful look and reach for his stomach had come from hunger. For him, no voice came out to agree or disagree, but his eyes did slide to watch Sakura retreat from his face.

It came as no surprise to the both of them when Sakura lightly knocked on the door and asked for the shopkeep that she was answered with silence, and huffed lightly at this treatment. Yet, as soon as she settled her mood, she left what they owed for the books, and scrolls, on the counter before ushering Gaara to follow with a promise of food.

Stepping back outside, Sakura let out a heavy sigh and stood frozen in her spot for a moment. Her mind was plagued with doubts, and they only grew stronger gazing down at her pitiful amount of resources.

"Hopefully..." she mumbled to herself, trying to keep her hopes up.

She looked to the side of her, surprised Gaara's eyes were on her. Yet, as soon as she caught him looking at her, he moved his eyes away from hers fast.

"What wrong?" she asked with a playful smile. "Don't tell me you're scared of me."

His eyes narrowed, returning to hers. She had hit a soft spot of his, and he rebutted.

"I'm not afraid of you," he mumbled, threat lacing his words.

To which Sakura hummed.

"So, you're just shy then?" she asked.

Even if her words were confusing to him, his eyes let up just a little bit. Because he was somewhat becoming familiar with her and her playful teasing, and it made him curious to finally experience some of what he had been deprived of. No matter his attitude towards her, his cautiousness, his anger, his despair, he was still a kid at heart, and drew small steps closer at her attentiveness. So, he stared up at her, unsure how to reply to her.

"Is it because you finally want to hold my hand?" she broke the silence, and even offered her hand to him. "I told you already that you could, you just have to catch it."

Gaara's gaze went from her eyes to her palm. He stared in silence, still for quite some time.

"You should really take up my offer," Sakura said, and winked with her tongue out when the boy looked back up towards her. "You'll never hold a prettier girl's hand than mine."

Definitely shy, Sakura decided then. At her words, Gaara's face contorted into many emotions. His eyes had widened in shock before he narrowed them in confusion. Yet, as her gaze met his, he could no longer force that anger to stay on his face, and he tore his eyes and head away from her to hide his shifting features and red face. For the rosette, her laughter echoed all the way down the street. For any local, they would think the young woman mad, since no laughter could ever come standing in the presence of that child. For Sakura, he brightened her day.

"Alright, alright," Sakura said, trying to stifle her giggles. "Let's go get something to eat."

She realized then how hard her words impacted the child, for he suddenly switched their roles. Usually, she was the one to lead them while he trudged behind her, but he this time was quick to walk in front of her, head and eyes towards the ground while his steps were fast. At first, Sakura gawked at him, wondering why this sudden change, but soon figured out that her playful words had embarrassed him. She ran, catching up to him.

"What's wrong? Does that mean you won't hold my hand?" Sakura asked jokingly.

Gaara didn't reply, instead his walk became faster.

"That's too bad! I was hoping I would finally get to hold a cute boy's hand!"

Sand erupted from his gourd then, shielding his back from the girl and hopefully drowning out her voice. To this, Sakura merely stuck out her tongue playfully before keeping silent. For Gaara, his face was still red even after many streets.

* * *

"I'm begging you! Please consider what you're asking!"

Sakura turned towards the lady who was crying into her ear, her eyes narrowed and were angry towards the woman for trying to convince her differently. The woman had made Sakura shift in her seat, and she crossed her arms and focused her attention on the little boy who sat across from her. For him, his eyes were below, to his lap, but his hand still tugged at his stomach while his other began rubbing the temple of his head.

"Why?" Sakura hissed, questioning the lady. "Why should _we_ have to leave?"

With her errands done, Sakura had suggested to Gaara they stop and eat at this restaurant the minute she walked past it. The smell of food called to her, and surely to him too, so it had baffled her when he protested once more going into the restaurant. He had turned a blind eye to her encouragement, to her promise that the food here was delicious. Yet, her persistence paid off with time, and the child finally agreed after she promised that they could go back to get shaved ice later in the day. Still, while her stride was strong walking in, he followed behind her slowly with a heavy frown.

As soon as Sakura found a table for the both of them, she suddenly understood the repercussions of bringing Gaara along with her inside. Murmurs and whispers suddenly exploded around them.

"Monster."

Sakura kept hearing over, and over. Countless times. It made her angry, but she gritted her teeth trying not to retort like she had done earlier. Had this been the reason Gaara wasn't keen on the idea of eating out, the rosette wondered? Sure enough, as soon as those mutters grew louder, people began standing from their half eaten meals and making a hasty exit. It hadn't turned into full blow chaos yet, but it seemed with more people leaving, the more joined in. In silence, the two of them sat while people past quickly by them for the exit, and still whispered in their direction.

"Monster."

Soon enough, the restaurant housed only them, and Sakura was fuming silently when the owner tried to intervene. Asking them to leave.

"Because..." the woman tried to have Sakura see the scenario from her perspective. "My customers are not comfortable with _him._ "

The woman nudged her head slightly to the source, Gaara, and though she was brave enough to point the finger in his direction, she still shook and eyed Gaara warily as if he may strike at any moment for her putting the blame on him.

"No," Sakura said thickly, eyes still angry and arms crossed. "We have every right to be in here. We have done nothing to invoke anything. You cannot ask us to leave when we have done nothing wrong."

There was nothing more said between the two, and soon after, the workers and chefs in the kitchen were also making a leave after hearing word that Gaara was here. They silently refused to stay, to do their job, simply because they feared the little boy who sat silently in his seat. Though he sat quietly, he began to rock his head lightly in his palm, and gripped his other hand a little harder into his stomach.

It was at this moment, the woman begging them to go realized her empty restaurant, and sighed in defeat.

"Fine," she muttered. "Just sit in here for all I care. I am refusing you service."

The woman turned and left then, and as soon as Sakura heard her departure, she began to curse loudly before shooting herself to her feet and stomping around the empty tables.

"Fine!" Sakura cried back to no one. "If no one will serve us, then we'll serve ourselves. Crazy lady. Crazy people..."

Sakura was now scavenging the tables and fuming, grabbing food that had been prepared for others and dropping the plates in front of Gaara.

"Crazy village!" she cried again in the direction they had all left. "You're all afraid of a child!"

Sakura was practically huffing when she returned to her seat, her appetite now lost while she continued to ridicule others. Her arms had crossed once again, and her foot swung rapidly while she mumbled under her breath.

"I can't believe this. I can't believe this place! Call him a monster now, but watch him save all your asses with his own life once the Akatsuki come blowing up everything."

Sakura bit her lip, and shook her head, when she realized her words were of the future. She was still uncertain what she should, and shouldn't share. So, she turned her angry eyes to the boy, surprised he hadn't even picked up his eyes to the many plates she had placed under him.

Her anger suddenly left her when she saw his heavy frown and wincing eyes. He was suddenly gripping both his head and stomach like he was in some sort of pain.

"Hey," Sakura called to him.

He didn't reply, and she was quick off of her seat to kneel beside him.

"What's wrong?" she asked, worried for him.

Still, he said nothing and simply rocked back and forth as if trying to nurture the pain. When another minute in silence came and went, Sakura brought her hand down to his back, to show him her support. Yet, when he felt that contact, Gaara pulled away and swatted once more at her arm.

"Don't touch me! Stop touching me! Stop pretending to be my friend! Stop acting like you care about me!" he cried bitterly.

It was a loud outburst, it shocked her. The boy was normally quiet, and he looked to be more sick than anything. Yet, his cry, his eyes now, even the way he seethed, showed off an angry child. Sakura was quiet as she took in his look, thinking this anger was severely misplaced.

"I don't want to be in here..." he hissed, turning his head and eyes away from her.

' _Ah, that's what it is,_ ' she thought.

She watched him as he clutched his head suddenly, trembling lightly.

He was upset at the situation she had placed him in. She forced him into something he did not want, he knew this was a bad idea despite her reassurance, and the consequences of it all had fallen onto him. Even if Gaara was quiet, even if people claimed him cold and uninterested, even if he had sworn to himself to numb out the pain, the little boy still held dear to his heart the evil names, and dark murmurs, that reached him from others.

"Gaara, I'm sorry," Sakura whispered.

"No one ever is," he hotly shot back, again like a dark hiss.

Sakura narrowed her eyes.

"Please believe me when I say I am."

The boy still trembled, still clutched at his head, and still didn't believe her words. They were quiet again, and Sakura gave a hearty sigh. Patience was key, she kept reminding herself.

"I am sorry. I shouldn't have forced you in here when you didn't want to. No one should ever force you to do anything you don't want," Sakura said, earning his narrowed eyes back on her. "Especially a friend."

His eyes widened briefly from her words, but he quickly winced and gripped his head once more when some sort of pain rushed his mind, and he once again scowled at her.

"Why?" he suddenly asked. "Why do you keep calling me your friend? Don't you know what I am?"

Sakura widened her eyes in surprise.

"Of course I do," she replied. "You're Gaara. Someday, everyone will want to be your friend. They'll look up to you with smiles on their faces."

He still had a hold on his head, but he managed to ground out an amused chuckle. Not because he found her words uplifting, but because he thought her foolish.

"You're lying again. You should be afraid too. I'm not like you, or them. There's something inside of me that everyone's afraid of."

As if to emphasize this, Gaara winced once more at the pain in his head. Meanwhile, Sakura was quiet, unsure how to convince the boy otherwise. Her words could only take her so far, and his young mind was just as complicated to figure out. Another sigh left her, and she turned her eyes towards the plates of food. She stared at the assortment of food for some time before pulling a slice of radish off one of the dishes.

"Look," she nudged the food at the boy.

His eyes were still narrow from the pain, but he peeked an eye open in her direction and at the food she held for a moment before shutting them back closed. Sakura bit into the food, an audible crunch and chewing noise filling the air.

"Now, I'm radish," she claimed, watching Gaara sternly.

He scowled at her confusing words, but managed to open his eyes again and keep them like that while studying her serious gaze. She said nothing more, and his curiosity grew before he asked skeptically.

"What?"

"I'm a radish," Sakura answered, pulling a carrot off the plate next and biting into it. "Now I'm a carrot."

They were both quiet again as Sakura hoped her words were sinking in for the young boy. Gaara meanwhile blinked at her in confusion, forgetting his pain and dropping his hands to straighten his back to meet with her eye level.

"No, you're not," he said, studying the food in her hand before bringing them back to her eyes as if he was trying to convince himself her words were false.

Sakura eyed the half-eaten carrot before finishing it off.

"I'm not?" she asked. "What makes you so sure? Do _you_ know what I am?"

"Human," he answered matter-of-factly, as if she was the naive one among them.

She gave him a quick nod.

"You're right. I am human."

Gaara sneered at her then, he was unsure whether she was trying to be playful or lying once more but whichever it was irked him. Yet, she smiled in his direction suddenly.

"It doesn't matter what's inside of me. Whether it's a radish, or a carrot, or a monster-"

Gaara's eyes widened suddenly to Sakura's words, and the young woman was glad to see him grasp what she was telling him with his young mind. A child he was, his innocence still some, but he was also smart enough to understand her.

"-none of that is what will define you."

She smiled once again, bringing her hand up to rest against the boy's head, and he let her. Perhaps he was in too much shock to push her away, but he let her touch him once again, and she silently prayed he understood this physical support.

"You are Gaara."

His hand suddenly gripped her wrist from the hand that held him. His nails dug deep into her skin, and Sakura watched him tremble lightly while his eyes wavered on her own. He was again conflicted, and confused. He wasn't sure why he had reached for her. In his mind, something was whispering at him to pull her hand off of him, to turn his back to her and her words, yet her smile, and eyes drew him in.

Sakura too did not pull away from his hold, even when his nails became painful, she could allow this because for her she understood his confusion. He was a lost child; it was fitting for his character. For her, as the wise friend, it was her job to enlighten him and reassure him. Not that he needed her, she knew. He eventually figured this out on his own.

Still, she grinned with time, and brought her other hand to graze and hold his cheek. Like her other wrist, Gaara's other hand snapped up to grip at her wrist to stop her, and he shook while holding her hands in place. Still confused, still unsure whether he did this to push her away, or to keep her there, he trembled even more when Sakura slowly brought her forehead down to lean against his.

At that contact, his shaking stopped. The pain he felt quickly vanished, and the whisper in his mind disappeared. His eyes were wide, his breathing heavy from this unfamiliar touch, but he couldn't tear his gaze away from Sakura's soft eyes and warm smile.

"You are Gaara," Sakura whispered to him again. "You are not a monster."

Her words calmed him, and his hold on her loosened, though he still not dare let go of her.

"Don't let the words of others discourage you or make you think otherwise," Sakura whispered again after some time, "Ignore their echoes. Let my whispers become your strength."

Another quick gaze at her smile, and bright eyes, before Gaara nodded softly against her head. Letting her words, at the moment, do just that.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beta'd by [**Errihu**](https://archiveofourown.org/users/errihu/pseuds/errihu).
> 
> Just a quick note and then I'll leave you all to be...
> 
> To you few who ask if I have a Tumblr, yes, I do! Same name, [**Seltap**](http://seltap.tumblr.com/). I'm a little new to it and don't quite comprehend the ideal of it. I only made an account to support a friend of mine who does beautiful art. I'll post doujinshi scans featuring Gaara if that may be something that interests you. I may post my own art and music that I make when/if I manage the courage to do so. Otherwise, it's just a boring page, but you're welcome to chat with me through there if you prefer.
> 
> This story grounds more following over at FanFiction's network. That being said, I've decided to a post a chapter ahead over at their site instead of here. For example, I'm posting chapter 12 today here, but chapter 13 over at FanFiction. Feel free to stick to the schedule I've set for AO3, or feel free to follow the story over at FanFiction. Either way, the story will eventually be finished on both sites.
> 
> Thank you all! Enjoy!

There it was again.

Every night, when Sakura chose to take a moment's rest, it rang in her ears, invaded her dreams, and drove her eyes to open and look for the source. This time was no different, and Sakura stirred herself awake before flipping the light switch on. She groaned unpleasantly when the bright light invaded her senses, making her roll onto her back and shield her eyes, and all while listening for the noise that drove her awake.

Familiar tears.

Every night, if she slept, she would always wake up to the sounds of someone crying. Yet, like every time, as soon as she woke up to search for the person and cause, the room would be dead silent. She let another groan escape her when she realized tonight was no different.

Days and nights had passed for her since the first time she realized she was stuck in past time, and asked to watch a familiar redheaded boy. Lost, confused, scared; even if these words defined her the first few days, she commended herself for holding it together most of the time, if not for her sake, for the little boy who was, somewhat, dependent on her. Gaara, troubled as he was in his youth, more plain for her now to see, was not the bad child everyone in this time claimed him to be. She had this understanding of him even before she was introduced to his younger self, because his older self was a proud display of what a selfless, caring man could be.

There was suddenly a loud thud in the room, and footsteps approached her slowly before stopping at the side of the bed. The child knew her to be awake now, and had left his sanctuary perch to come be by her side. Behind her covered eyes, she no longer worried how the boy looked down at her laying form. Though still defiant on his worst days, Gaara overall was obedient and heeded her calls. Not that she demanded much from him; it was still his lead she mostly followed. Still shy, still reserved, still angry at times, and still a puzzle to her, he nonetheless opened up a little more to her every day, and for that the rosette was grateful. He trusted her, to an extent, and listened to what she had to say. Though, that didn't mean his doubts and dark whispers left him completely, just that Sakura was allowed into his life for the moment, but he still kept a cautious eye on her.

Because the last person who cared for his sake, had also been the one who hurt him the most.

For Sakura, who had been warned by Rasa to watch Gaara always, had become lenient once again with her sleeping. The pills were of little help, and while she sensed a change in Gaara's demeanor having someone by his side who matched his twenty-four-hour schedule, Sakura found herself completely exhausted by the third day to the point where she couldn't even pull herself out of the bed. So, she saved her last pill and thought up another plan.

Mental alarms.

She woke up every hour to make sure Gaara was still in the room, but that took a toll on her state as well. Yet, when nights came and went with theboy behaving and taking to heart her request to stay put, she gradually let two hours pass before waking to check on him, then three, then four, then to the point where she trusted him enough to go back to a routine sleep.

Gaara listened to her, it was Rasa who was trying to poison her mind, she decided.

"Are you awake?" Gaara asked, probably hopeful for some sort of communication.

Sakura smirked, still hiding her eyes behind her arm. She felt sorry for the boy who probably longed for interaction more so at night since that was when it was quietest for him. She rolled her head to the side, forcing her eyes open to adjust to the bright light and stare into Gaara's curious teal orbs.

"I cannot sleep," Sakura mumbled. "My mind's awake."

Gaara tilted his head, confused by her words, but watched as Sakura turned her head towards the ceiling and let out a breathy sigh. It was quiet again, and Sakura was tempted to close her eyes and return to the clouds of dreams and given second sights. Yet, she stopped herself from succumbing, instead shifting an eye towards the boy.

"Could you hear someone crying just a minute ago?"

She watched Gaara's eyes steady on hers. A stoic look from him again, and he didn't break their gaze.

"No," he answered her.

Sakura believed him, she had no reason not to, and so she turned once more to face him, sharing with him her smile while he stared down at her passively. They were silent, taking one another in for some time before…

"I want kakigori."

Sakura chuckled, labeling him once more as a brat before burying her head into her pillow.

"It's closed now, Gaara," Sakura sighed with a smile. "If you behave, we can get some tomorrow."

More often than not, Sakura would take the little boy back to the ice stand whether he asked, or not. It had become one of her favorite past times at night, and she hoped Gaara felt the same. They eyed each other once again in silence before it was broken by Gaara.

"I'm hungry."

Again, Sakura chuckled amused. Not that she could blame the kid. It seemed children were always hungry. Famished for sweets, and Gaara probably even more since his body remained awake entirely. Yet, even when she stretched her arms and muscles to try to help shake off her rest, she remained still in her bed.

"I'm too tired," Sakura mumbled, "maybe another day."

Her playful words came out once again, and Gaara was becoming a lot quicker recognizing them.

"Lazy," he labeled her, earning another one of small laughs.

"If you can find a way to carry me down there, we can grab something to eat in the kitchen," Sakura said, closing her eyes and relaxing back in her soft bed.

It was quiet again after that. Sakura was beginning to drift back into the world of dreams while Gaara was thinking a way to answer her proposal. Just when Sakura was sure he was about to give up, a slithering sound of grains hit her ears, and her eyes shot wide open when the sand began to wrap around her legs.

"Alright, alright!" Sakura shouted, shooting herself out of the bed and away from his sand. "You win. I'm up now."

Though he still looked at her with a poker face, Sakura could see amusement in his eyes. Perhaps, one day, he would allow himself to smile and laugh as freely as any child. Another stretch of her back, and a loud yawn, before Sakura nudged her head towards the door.

"Lead the way, little lord."

The boy did just that, his hungry stomach carrying his legs faster than Sakura's tired limbs could keep up. Still, she followed through the quiet home, and with an empty mind and constant yawns. Had she been more awake, she may have found it diverting that their roles had been turned somewhat. It was him who led her down the stairs and towards the kitchen, yet stopping at random moments to make sure she still followed, or waiting on her before he continued on as if she would somehow get lost along the way if he traveled too far ahead.

As late into the night as it was, Sakura did not expect to run into anyone. This was partially why she allowed the boy to venture out without her lead, yet, as they drew closer towards the kitchen, Sakura stopped in her tracks as soon as heard a giggle. Someone was awake this late into the night just like them. From the sound of it, _very_ awake. Only did Sakura move from her spot when she saw Gaara venturing into the kitchen without a care, and she made a grab for him before hiding the both of them against the wall next to the entryway.

"What are yo-!"

Before Gaara could finish his whining sentence, Sakura clasped a hand against his mouth and forced his eyes on hers.

"Hush," she whispered to him while bringing a finger to her lips to emphasize how important it was to remain quiet.

Again, he stared at her with a stoic look before she let go of him, her focus returning back to the kitchen. The lights were on, there were quiet murmurs within, and Sakura knew for certain then they weren't the only ones up this late hour. The giggle she had heard earlier made her believe that this presence was no threat. Who was she to know anyway if help didn't start this late into night? Maybe these were helpers just doing their job. In which case, it was her duty to go in to grab something for the boy if she didn't want a panic to start from his presence.

Yet, another light giggle emitted from the lit room, and Sakura was certain she couldn't barge in there nonchalantly as she would have liked from the sounds of it. She let her hold on Gaara go, and slowly shuffled her feet towards the open-way, tilting her head back and looking in to the kitchen to see the source.

'S _candalous_ ,' she thought when she saw a man pinning a girl against the counter.

Though both were still clothed, she knew exactly which direction the scenario was heading. Yet, as shocking as the this should have been to Sakura, the giggle she had heard earlier gave her a sneaking suspicion of what was going on before she even looked in. With that conclusion, the rosette was about to turn her head and give the two their privacy, but stopped short when she heard the woman's words.

"Baki, we shouldn't be doing this sort of thing in here."

Sakura's back straightened then, and she mentally wanted to cry while placing her hands on her ears.

' _No, no, no, no,_ ' she kept repeating her mind, hoping to drown out the voices.

It was awkward enough catching two people acting intimate. It was a hundred more times embarrassing for her knowing the man in there was Baki, and it made her cringe ever so hard when she recognized the young woman who had just spoken.

' _Annaisha..._ ' Sakura remembered her name.

Sakura's mind rattled, and she still shook her head while covering her ears, forgetting the little boy in front of her completely. He narrowed his eyes lightly at Sakura's confusing display, trying to understand what had made her act so funny. He glanced back and forth between her and the kitchen, not understanding at all what was going on the other side, or the privacy the couple deserved.

"I'm hungry," he mumbled once more to Sakura, trying to remind her of the task at hand.

Sakura did not hear the little boy, as she was still too caught up in her thoughts and had her ears shielded. So, when she paid Gaara no mind, he grew impatient to her neglect and marched his way into the kitchen. Only when Sakura saw red hair fly past her did she panic and make a reach again for the boy. She fell to her knees trying to stop him before he was too far in.

"Gaara, no!" she hissed.

Her panic grew ten-fold when he slipped away from her fingers, and Sakura mentally struggled whether to follow him or remain hidden.

' _Maybe they won't notice,_ ' she tried to reassure herself. ' _He's quiet, he's small, they won't-_ '

Her thoughts and body froze when she heard Annaisha give a quiet gasp, and an eerie silence followed afterward. They had spotted him, and Sakura was once again torn wondering if she should go in and apologize for the both of them, or if she should remain hidden and let their secret be shared only with Gaara.

' _First Icha Icha, and now this!_ ' Sakura screamed in her mind, covering her embarrassed, hot face into the palms of her hands. ' _Look how much I've exposed him to! I have no idea how to take care of a kid!_ '

"Vhy iz your vace red?"

Sakura gasped, whipping her head up fast to meet Gaara's impassive face. He stood in front of her, jar in his hand while he munched on the cookies. There was no reprimand then, she didn't even dare utter a whisper, and still hoped she had concealed herself. Yet, she was fast reaching for the boy, pulling him up in her arms, and making their getaway back to Gaara's room at top speed.

Only did she allow herself a relaxed breath when she shut the door behind her, resting her back against the wooden frame. She closed her eyes then, trying to rid her thoughts of Baki and Annaisha. A sigh left her, and it wasn't until she heard the noises of crunches hit her ears did she look at the boy that will still in her arms. Surprisingly, he hadn't shuffled out her hold, and instead stared at her curiously while stuffing his mouth with cookies. His concentration must have been solely focused on appeasing his greedy stomach, Sakura decided then, for she didn't think the boy would allow himself being held so close to her.

She studied him closely for some time, and him her, but not without his distant gaze, the one that told her his focus was on food and not her. After some time, she tilted her heard towards him.

"Child, you could have gotten us into a lot of trouble back there."

She studied his face, wondering if remorse would come to him. Instead, he ate another cookie.

"Does that not bother you?"

Gaara, at first, was quiet to Sakura's words, instead biting in half another cookie and swallowing that piece down before asking.

"What were they doing?"

Just like the perverse book before, Gaara's curiosity came when he noticed an act unforgiving and forbidden came into the play. Sakura could only shake her head, trying to cool down her now hot blush, and wondered if Gaara only asked these questions because he had mischievous side to him. Yet, with his stare still settled on her, waiting for her answer, Sakura sighed and tried to think of the right words.

"Well..." she mumbled at first, readjusting Gaara in her arms.

Even young, the boy was still heavy, but Sakura held on. Not because she had the strength to, but this was so rare that Gaara even allowed this. She hoped this connection formed would help in some positive way for the boy.

"Uh..." she struggled with her words again. "Baki and Annaisha were kissing."

"Kissing?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

Gaara's eyes narrowed then, not out of spite, but out of confusion.

Sakura's eyes met the ceiling then, unsure as she was to whatever relationship Baki, and Annaisha, had. The young woman hummed in thought, for she didn't want to tell Gaara that she didn't have the answer to that yet. Perhaps it was love, or perhaps it was lust. She was quick to realize that the latter was not right in her mind to explain yet to the young boy. So, she settled on the first.

"Because they love each other."

Gaara's eyes seemed to swim side to side then, and he had even lowered the hand that fed him to his side. He suddenly looked lost, but also trying desperately hard to understand Sakura's explanation.

" _That's_ why people kiss?" he whispered, eyes settling back on her.

Sakura was flabbergasted, and gazed at the boy just to be certain his question was genuine. He couldn't be _that_ blind to what love was? Could he? Did he just find the act of kissing simply a dull move that held no attachments or feelings? She tried to think what his past years held. Surely, someone told him what love was, or he must he seen what love between two partners meant when he saw his parents-

' _Ah!_ ' Sakura thought, eyes widening then.

Now it made sense why he didn't understand. Children, often, learned this sort of thing through their parents and their feelings towards their partner. Gaara, however, did not know his mother, someone who apparently held no attachment for the boy. His father was no better, almost completely out of the young child's life, and others had avoided him like the plague. Gaara, it seemed, did not understand the love between two people.

"You've never heard of marriage before?" Sakura asked, watching the boy slowly shake his head. "When two people love each other, they kiss to express their feelings. That they love each other."

Sakura tried to keep her words short and to the point, but the boy just seemed to glare past her with her explanation. This conversation was already hard because he was a child, it was looking damn near impossible for him to understand the concept when he hadn't even been shown this sort of affection. So, with time, she sighed.

"Don't worry about it now, alright?" she said with a smile, tilting her head. "When you're older, you'll understand what I'm telling you."

She knelt down then, about to place Gaara gently back down to the floor, but stopped, surprised, when the boy asked her another question.

"Do you love?"

Her eyes widened then, looking past and focusing on nothing, and her grip tightened a little on Gaara, not letting him go just yet. His question, with his wording, was a little confusing, and while any normal person would probably answer him with a yes, Sakura had an inkling he was asking her if she loved someone in the same light she was just trying to explain to him. In her mind, flashes of her past played before her, all of them focusing on a certain onyx-eyed man. Her eyes suddenly felt hot, and she fought hard to hold back tears that suddenly threatened her. Not only had the child reminded her of the one that was dear to heart, but she also remembered just how much farther she was from him now.

' _He is not gone for good,'_ her mind reminded her.

She shook her head, fast, and lifted the young boy back again up. Her face this time was the passive one, memorizing his teal eyes for some time before she was able to bring forth a small smile.

Just this once, she refused to answer him.

"Share?" she asked, before opening her mouth wide.

It took the boy a moment to understand her, but knew just what she was asking when she nudged her open mouth towards the jar in his hand. He was quick to bring out a cookie out in front of her, but was slow and uncertain when aiming the pastry towards her mouth. Sakura was quick to take a bite, and while he jumped lightly when her teeth came close to his finger, an amused smile found his face to her act.

"I knew you could smile," Sakura said through her bites.

Her voice was soft, and she held a smile of her own. Yet, for the boy, who realized then what all had just happened, a fear suddenly returned to him. This scenario, to him, was a familiar one, and the ending to it had been devastating. For him, the woman in front of him was slowly becoming a welcoming figure, but she was also a threat to whatever peace he had left in him. He stared into her green eyes, and in his mind, her hair suddenly lightened to blonde and her eyes darkened to violet. In his head, something shook, and a dark whisper came forth.

"Put me down," Gaara said with a frown.

Sakura could sense his sudden detachment, and was quick settling him back down to the ground. He took a few steps behind him before turning his back to her. In his arm he still hugged the jar, in his other hand he held onto the cookie that Sakura had bitten into. He stood frozen, head down, and without a doubt to the rosette, lost in his thoughts.

She sighed to this, not because her patience was wearing thin, but because she felt for the little boy. Good experiences happened between them, ones she felt helped the small boy form a connection with her, yet he still backed away from her with uncertainty from time to time. He would still not allow an attachment to form, and for Sakura, it was frustrating that he pushed her away because of how others had treated him thus far. This child believed he could not put his trust into the hands of another.

Unbalanced, an emotional wreck, sociopath. Cruel words, but these were just some of the few that defined Gaara. For Sakura, it was heartbreaking to see, and only did she feel reassured by thinking back to the future he would one day have. Yet, the more she saw of his despair, how others treated him, how lost and confused he was, it made her question if the Gaara, the one who was Kazekage, was truly as happy as Naruto claimed him to be. Because the sight in front of her, the scenario all around her, felt like a never healing wound.

Sakura cleared her throat, and walked towards Gaara while ruffling his hair a little before passing him. He didn't move from his spot or protest to her touch, but he did flinch lightly.

"I'm going back to sleep now," she announced to him, settling herself back onto the bed.

The boy was still frozen, didn't acknowledge her words, and his eyes were just as distant staring down at the floor. Sakura watched him carefully for a moment, deciding right away that she would need to wake up frequently tonight to make sure he hadn't run off. Everything had been going good tonight, it saddened her that his antisocial behavior didn't allow him to keep that tranquility tonight. It was not his fault, it was his thinking, what others intruded into his mind.

"Good night, Gaara."

With that, she shut off the light, and dreamt of those tears again.

* * *

A loud noise was what made Sakura jump out of bed early the next morning. The sound was obnoxious, irritating, yet nostalgic in a way. Something that she hadn't heard in years, and she groaned when she saw the little boy experimenting with the small television he had in his room.

At the sight, Sakura plopped her bottom back onto the bed.

"Brat," she whispered while rubbing her tired eyes.

She didn't label him this only because he was careless enough towards her to turn that loud thing on so early, but because he was spoiled enough to actually have the small technology in his room. When the static of the device continued to crack, and rattle Sakura's mind, the young woman groaned again.

"Gaara," she whined, "put something in or turn it off before I break it."

The boy didn't reply, but did in fact place a video in, and Sakura's ears were suddenly invaded by a loud fanfare.

' _That's no better!_ ' she thought before marching towards the television.

Gaara paid her no mind when she began adjusting the volume button, just instead tilting his head to the side to look past her. Sakura realized once she was done how enthralled the child was suddenly of the show, and smiled at the sight before nestling down next to him.

"What is this about?" she asked.

No surprise, she should have been the wiser, Gaara was quiet to her question, his gaze settled at the bright colors in front of him instead of on her. Another smile came to her seeing his silent awe of the characters in front of him before she turned to watch along with him.

Yet, in short time, she realized how ridiculous the show in front of them was. They were characters in costume, poorly-made ones, and the show aimed at a younger audience but with a message that sounded much like propaganda. A hero who fought for his home, along with his friends, against the rest of the world who was their enemy. Everyone, besides them, were the bad guys, and they needed to destroy everyone lest their friendship, and home, perish. Five minutes in, and Sakura decided she could no longer stomach this garbage. She even turned to Gaara with a means to pull him away, but stopped when she saw his face light up with interest as the hero in the television was surrounded by his friends, cheering him on. She understood then why Gaara watched with an unbreakable attention.

Despite his cold nature towards others, he was still drawn to the idea of having friends around, cheering him on. She smiled at him again.

' _Just wait,_ ' she thought. ' _Your time will come._ '

In her mind, she was picturing him as Kazekage, and remembering the times she had seen his presence swarmed with villagers once he stepped foot outside. There wasn't that much difference between Gaara, and the character in the show… Aside from the fact that the costumed hero was a rabbit with oversized ears.

Sakura decided then she could spare the boy some alone time for the moment, and got up to make her way to the kitchen. She almost completely turned around when she spotted Annaisha's back, but was stopped short by the young woman's cheerful greeting.

"Good morning, Sakura-sama!"

Despite the previous night, how Gaara had interrupted her and Baki, she played along as if nothing had happened. So, it was a little easier for Sakura to cool down her growing blush and do the same.

"G-Good morning," Sakura replied. "I wasn't sure if breakfast-"

Before Sakura could finish, Annaisha practically skipped towards the rosette and handed off two bowls.

"Had an early start this morning!" Annaisha grinned before turning back to the stove.

To her cheerful mood, Sakura was in light awe. For someone who had lost her mother recently, it was surprising to watch her hum happily while working.

' _That just must be her nature,_ ' Sakura thought, before her thoughts shifted to her and Baki. ' _Or...maybe that's just love._ '

Sakura couldn't help but smile to this thought. She wondered if her own self would be this chipper once love came to her.

"By the way, Sakura-sama,' Annaisha spoke, turning to catch Sakura before she left, "how is everything going?"

The question was vague, but Sakura knew what the woman was really asking.

"Alright...I suppose," was all Sakura could say, still unsure of herself and how she approached Gaara.

She liked to believe she was making good progress with him, but she was always unsure. Though, she would let no one know about her uncertainty.

"My sleeping pattern is a little off, but other than that, Gaara does well to listen and not ask for much."

Annaisha's eyes widened for a second, surprised by Sakura's words. Yet, a stern look followed shortly after.

"You must know a lot about handling kids then. I imagine he is the most challenging of all, yet you say everything is alright," Annaisha said, crossing her arms and leaning her back against the stove.

Sakura forced a smile then, hesitation showing through her twitching lip.

"I'm not so sure about that," Sakura mumbled. "I really don't know how to take care of a child. This is my first time."

A nervous laugh followed, but Annaisha was quick to reassure her.

"I see you at ease, Sakura-sama. You're not rattled by him like the rest of us," Annaisha chuckled at the thought, shrugging before speaking again. "It's like you look at him like any other child."

Sakura narrowed her eyes.

"That's because he is a child. He shouldn't be punished for being confused. He didn't make himself that way."

Annaisha was quiet then, and Sakura wasn't sure how to take her long, hard, blank gaze. In her mind, was she calling Sakura the fool, or taking her words into consideration? Before long, Annaisha smirked before turning back to the stove.

"Sakura-sama, you're wrong," Annaisha whispered.

Sakura was quick to open her mouth, anger getting the better of her, but Annaisha beat her to the punch.

"You _do_ know how to take care of children," Annaisha whispered again.

Silence followed. For Sakura, she was completely shocked. She was actually given praise for how she looked over a child? Of Gaara no less?

"Keep doing what it is you're doing," Annaisha finished.

Sakura took a moment to relish in the warm feeling Annaisha suddenly gave her; reassurance. Along the way, she hoped Annaisha was one of the many from the future that would be surrounding Gaara in the streets with the smile he would one day deserve.

Not long after, Sakura thanked the girl for the food before returning back to Gaara's room. She was relieved to watch the boy in the process of taking the video out and placing it back away before turning off the television, unsure if she could stomach anymore of it.

"Hungry?" she asked him when he turned and eyed the bowls in her hand.

He was quiet for the most part while eating, and Sakura wondered if his mood was still sour from the night before while she ate across from him.

"You know, there is a girl here who makes your meals," Sakura said suddenly, eying the boy. "Everyday."

Gaara didn't acknowledge Sakura, he was simply silent while he ate his meal.

"Her name is Annaisha. She's a very nice lady," Sakura continued to speak.

For him, Gaara's eyes was still on his food, again engorging himself in that instead of anything else.

"Her mother died recently. She doesn't have anyone else. She is all alone," Sakura whispered.

She wasn't sure how the boy was going to react to these facts. She wondered if he would ignore her. Yet, she was glad to see Gaara's eyes slowly pick up to hers then, maybe he could sympathize. Though he bore a dull expression, Sakura understood his eyes falling to her meant she nabbed his interest, even if only slightly. He chewed on his food, but watched Sakura while waiting for her to say more, which she did.

"We should thank her sometime, for making us these delicious meals every morning," Sakura said with a warm smile.

Meanwhile, the boy had turned back to his bowl. He took a few bites of his food, trailing back to his own thoughts. Yet, he spoke, and his words warmed Sakura's heart and made her think back to what Annaisha had just told her about how she did know what she was doing with this child.

"Ok," was what he had whispered back to Sakura.


	13. Chapter 13

For the most part they remained in his room. Quite boring for Sakura, but she held on to her sanity with books, scrolls, and tending to the child when he needed it. For Gaara, he seemed to pay the confinement no mind, but there were times when the rosette would watch him curiously open up all the windows he could in his room. He would then stare into the outside world with a blank expression.

"Can we go get kakigori again?" he would ask feverishly on those days.

"If you behave we can," she would answer.

And he would, for Sakura could sense him becoming stir-crazy at times. She wasn't sure if this was normal behavior, or if he imprisoned himself within this room because of her, but she would be left wondering why the boy rarely asked to go outside. He was mistreated in the outside world, maybe that was why he shackled himself within his personal prison. Nobody could hurt him with words in here, or maybe it was the fear of his father that made him linger. Whatever reason, Sakura could see a small change in Gaara when it was obvious he longed for fresh air. Aside from opening all the windows, his toys would receive rough treatment.

Sakura sighed one day, closing her book and walking over towards the child, when she noticed he was nonchalantly ripping his stuffed animals and smashing the plastic ones to bits. It wasn't her first time seeing this, but it would be her first to acknowledge the act. As she knelt down to his level, she could feel a small breeze enter through one of the opened windows, brushing the small hairs on her neck.

"Gaara," she called to him softly.

He did not answer.

"What are you doing?" she asked. "You shouldn't do this to your toys. You'll run out of things to play with."

He didn't listen to her. Only when Sakura slowly reached for one of the playthings in his hand did he pause and watch her fingers pull the toy away from him. He let her take it, and stared at his palms where the toy once was before blinking a few times as if he was lost in thought.

Meanwhile, Sakura was studying the toy, making sure the damage to it wasn't bad enough to be declared broken and thrown away.

"I'm bored," Gaara finally admitted to his palms before turning to look at Sakura.

She looked back at him before nodding in agreement.

"Me too," she smiled. "Want me to read you your new book?"

Sakura laughed when Gaara narrowed his eyes. It seemed the boy had lost interest in that book the second she brought it home, and it only sat on the table collecting dust now. Perhaps he wasn't the reader she had imagined, and chuckled still at his obvious distaste.

"What do you want to do then?" Sakura asked.

Gaara paused for a moment, once again thinking.

"Kakigo-"

"Later! I keep telling you, later!" Sakura reminded him once more.

He was beginning to annoy her with his frequent requests for the sweet ice that Sakura had actually gripped the toy in her hand a little too hard. It snapped in her fingers, a loud crack ringing in both of their ears, and together they watched the toy's broken pieces fall from her grip.

"Ah!" Gaara was surprisingly the first to call out, pointing to the plastic portions on the floor.

Silence followed after, Gaara mesmorized by the broken toy while Sakura hissed at herself.

"I'm sorry, Gaara," she quickly apologized. "I'll get you another one..."

Still, the boy was quiet and was still staring at the pieces. Even before Sakura could ask if he was alright, he scooted his small body closer and placed his small hands on Sakura's leg, using it as a leverage to peer more over her and to the broken toy. The surprise of that contact on Sakura's part didn't last long as Gaara's eyes were quick to steal back her attention.

"You broke it," he whispered, hands leaning onto her leg still.

Sakura sighed, remorse settling in.

"Sorry," she apologized again, "sometimes I forget my own strength."

She worried his eyes would turn sad when she looked back at him, but was surprise instead to see some amusement in his teal orbs.

"You killed it," he smiled. "You killed it just like I killed that scarpien."

"Scor-pi-en," Sakura corrected him before her face fell to his words. "And I didn't kill it. It's a toy."

The boy was smiling once more, but his grin this time wasn't one of the darkly ones that came across his face from time to time. No, this was a child's smile, one she had only seen once before at the time she asked for a cookie from him, and the more he stared at her small destruction, the more his smile seemed to grow. She was in awe staring at his lit up face, for no matter how happy she knew Gaara to be she didn't possibly think a smile so big would ever grace him.

He pushed himself off of her leg, the bounce giving him some momentum to run quickly to his toy box before bringing back another plastic toy. He fell to his knees next to Sakura once again and offered her this new toy with a strong smile.

"Again," he ordered before she could even ask.

Sakura was flabbergasted.

"What?!" she asked. "You want me to break another one?"

"Yea!" Gaara beamed, tightening his hands around the small toy, mimicking her. "Crush it again."

Sakura was hesitant, but nonetheless picked up the toy he offered her within her hands before staring down at it with uncertainty, and a frown. Was it healthy this boy was excited because of her destructive power? Did he find this amusing on a much darker level, or was it just a child admiring her strength? Again, he drew closer towards her with anticipation, and she turned to look back at his smile.

"I shouldn't break your toys like this," she tried to convince him otherwise. "You might regret this later on. What if you want to play with it but can't?"

His gaze wasn't on her but instead on the toy in her grip. His eyes were big with delight, and he leaned in all the more closer with anticipation building.

"Break it," he whispered with fixed eyes.

Sakura's frown only turned heavier as it traveled from the young boy and to the toy in her hands. She thought again to protest, but sighed at the idea of him becoming disappointed. It wasn't like they couldn't go out and replace the cheap thing anyway. Gaara's father had made it abundantly clear that all of the child's physical needs, clothes, foods, entertainment, would be met at the snap of Gaara's fingers.

' _It's too bad_ _Rasa_ _turns a cold shoulder to_ _Gaara's_ _most important_ _need,'_ Sakura sadly thought.

Sakura turned her sad eyes back to the boy, surprised his teal orbs were looking up at her curiously. Before she could apologize and refuse his wish, he surprised her with a small, sheepish smile. She was left in slight awe at his happy features. Usually she was the one to grace him with a smile first before he rarely returned the gesture. She turned her eyes quickly away then.

' _Damn it!_ ' she thought. ' _He can be a pretty cute kid with that smile!_ '

For a minute, she wondered the more damage he could do with such a sweet smile than the heinous frown people often saw on him. She knew she lost the argument the moment he turned the small grin in her direction, so it was unfair that he continued to push her by asking her so innocently.

"Please?"

' _Damn it!_ ' Sakura cursed once more before turning her face back towards him.

She tried to keep a stern face while looking at him, but instead all he saw was her red face once again twitching while she tried to keep a straight look. She wanted to show him his smile hadn't been the thing to persuade her otherwise into breaking this toy. She did not want him to learn how dangerous his smile truly was.

"Just-Just this once!" she cried, aiming the toy in his face as if she was lecturing him.

Soon enough, she brought the plaything back and stared down at it along with Gaara. Looking back down at it her uncertain frown, and second thoughts, returned. Yet, when she saw Gaara's red hair under her, eyes peering with want, she was quick to shake off those thoughts.

Much quicker this time than the last, she squeezed the toy again with her strength, and Gaara's wide eyes were set on the small destruction the whole time. His grin, and eyes, growing the more broken pieces fell from her hand. As Sakura dropped the rest of the bits of the toy onto the floor, she realized Gaara's hands had again found her leg, and he had gripped her tightly at the scenario. She was about to open her mouth to speak, but stopped and watched in astonishment as the boy began to chuckle lightly.

His laugh was breathy, and low, as if this experience was unfamiliar to him and he had yet to grasp the concept. Which, was probably true, since this was the first time Sakura was listening to him laugh. She had heard him chortle darkly once before, but that cackle then and his chuckling now were in two different lights. While the young woman had never seen a young one find this sort of amusement over a broken toy, her own smile grew when she saw Gaara's eyes shut tight, and his grin big as he laughed through his teeth.

' _Took him long enough,_ ' Sakura thought, before commending herself. ' _You got a laugh out of him. Good job._ '

She watched him still as he once again took flight from her side and back to his box of toys.

' _Oh no,_ ' Sakura thought when he returned with two more toys this time.

He took a seat next to the rosette before eying the two toys carefully that were in each of his hand. Sakura already knew what he was going to ask before he even offered her one of the toys.

"No," she said before he could even inquire. "Not again. You know, you're suppose to take care of these, not break them."

Gaara still handed her the toy as if he had not heard her, and Sakura sighed taking the toy still in her hand despite what she was telling him. She frowned once more at the plastic.

"Together."

"Huh?" Sakura whispered, her eyes on Gaara in wonder as he said this.

Though, she wished she had kept her eyes away, for once again did he show off that small smile that could win over anyones heart.

"Let's break them together," he repeated.

A noise of grains suddenly hit her ears, and she watched from his gourd as sand wrapped around the toy he held. From his grip to his sand the toy was taken, but next to her hand the sand brought his toy next to the one she held. She felt Gaara once again scoot his body close next to hers and peer over her with anticipation.

' _No..._ ' Sakura argued in her mind, but knew the boy had already won her over with his laugh and smile.

So, she gripped the toy once again, telling herself this was alright since it was blossoming the boy's happiness. He seemed so sad, and angry, for most of the time that she didn't want to shatter the sudden happiness he had watching his toys break. So with that thought, and a pout, Sakura slowly crushed the toy in her hand like the last two. She also watched, and listened, as his sand followed her example. His sand made the small toy squeak before its stuffing began to rip through and fabric before littering the floor. She sighed when she realized all around them were broken pieces, and destruction. Yet, she couldn't stop her smile forming once again when Gaara's smile grew a little more, and she met his eyes at the perfect time as he was just turning his giant grin back at her.

"We killed them together!" he chuckled.

"Hey now..." Sakura groaned. "They're toys. We didn't kill them."

She sighed at the child's dark thoughts. She had finally managed some joy, and laughter, out of him and yet his thoughts were still of killing and destruction.

' _I hope this is alright..._ ' Sakura thought, trying to believe all of this was innocent.

"Again!" Gaara beamed, shooting from the floor and turning to race for his box of toys.

Sakura was much quicker though, and was able to nab the boy's wrist before he even sprinted.

"No!" Sakura said. "No more! Breaking things isn't what we should be doing to pass the time."

She waited on the boy to acknowledge her, but instead his eyes were fixated on the hand that held him back. He tilted his head back and forth, curiously staring at their connection before his eyes slowly went back up to hers. He had lost his smile, and his cheerful aura. His eyes on her now were stern, but also held curiosity in them.

"What's wrong?" Sakura asked, unsure if the boy was growing upset with her holding him.

He turned to face her fully, drawing himself closer to her hold.

"Are you going to crush my hand now? Just like my toys," he asked in a low voice.

To his serious eyes, and voice, Sakura knew his question was no joke, and she quickly let go of him in surprise.

"Gaara," she mouthed, shocked his mind would suddenly think her to hurt him. "Why would you think that?"

He was quiet, staring at her still, and she him. His gaze was steady while hers was shaky trying to read the blank emotions through his eyes. When he didn't answer her, she refused to let his silence slide this time.

"Weren't we just having fun? How could you think I would want to hurt you still after all this time?"

To her question, Sakura already knew this answer. That his upbringing made his mind flip-flop at inappropriate times. It was how he was treated so far for him to think Sakura wanted nothing _but_ to hurt him. Yet, at the same time, was this by chance the first time he had smiled and laughed so freely? Did he not feel at ease just moments ago? How could the grace of her touch make him feel so threatened suddenly?

He was still quiet, but Sakura could see his steady gaze waver slightly. Just as much as she silently studied him, he now tried to read her expression.

"You remind me of him."

Sakura eyes widened briefly for a moment to Gaara's answer. Who was he referring to? Someone good, someone bad? It seemed only bad people had come into his life, so it troubled her a little more than it should have for Sakura to hear that. Not to mention, the distant look he was giving her now didn't give her any confidence that he was praising her.

"Who?" Sakura whispered, watching his distant gaze return.

He opened his mouth for a moment, but paused before any words came out. He was struggling once more whether how much he wanted to reveal to her, but eventually did answer her after much thought.

" _He_ would play with me too."

Sakura smiled then.

' _So, someone else was kind to him beforehand?_ ' she wondered.

Yet, her smile fell to his long frown, and now hard gaze. His eyes had even narrowed some towards her, probably upset that she bore a grin to his words. Without him even having to say it, Sakura understood the outcome of this story was not a happy one. She finally understood now that his words had not meant to compliment her. It was a way, his way, of telling her that he was wary of her. That despite everything, she did not have his trust. He was willing to laugh and smile with her at times, but was also very aware of the power she had over him.

Figuring all this out with time and silence, Sakura smirked at the young boy.

"Alright," she whispered to him. "I get it now."

Though he didn't understand her words entirely, his eyes were still hard on her; he did his best not let her see his confusion and uncertainty. Yet, he jumped lightly when Sakura's hand sneaked its way into his, taking a small grip of his fingers. Before he could pull back and tear away from her, she spoke to trap him with her words.

"You're right," she whispered with a playful grin. "I think I will crush you."

The boy's face was quick to fall, and his eyes even widened. Yet, before he could counter in any way, Sakura gripped his hand a little tighter before pulling him in to her chest. A quick gasp escaped him, and he even gave a small whimper of protest and fright. Yet, before he could pull away from the rosette, she encased her arms around him, pulling him into a tight embrace.

Though in her mind, Sakura's intent was both playful and affectionate, she realized her action may have just been a tad too forward. For while she held him in a hug, she could see that his sand had raced for her as the boy had gone on guard to her words, and quick action.

Yet, as Gaara stood stiffened in her hold, so too had the sand froze from encasing her. Instead, its grains were aimed at her, warningly, ready to strike at any given moment, but they did not move, and neither did the little boy in her hold for some time. Another unfamiliar gesture for him, and with time he began to shake lightly with doubt as Sakura held him in that spot. While Gaara trembled, so too did the sand around them begin to lightly ripple. It was probably another silent warning, yet all Sakura did was pull the child tighter into her before brushing the side of her head next to his. To that unfamiliar physical contact, he once again stiffened.

"Whoever it is you're thinking of, I'm not them," she whispered to him. "I'm not any of _them_."

Her embrace grew tighter, and she closed her eyes with a smile.

"I'm Sakura. I'm your friend. I'm here to take care of you, not hurt you."

Like the time she comforted him before, she pulled back before nestling her forehead against his. Through her steady eyes she could see his teal gaze shaking once again. For Sakura, it was a sad thought to think a small embrace like a hug could invoke such precariousness in the boy, but she had to at least find some hope in the fact that he did not push her away, or ask that she let him go.

"Don't forget all that I've told you before," Sakura smiled, and closed her eyes with her head still leaning against his. "I'm here for you, Gaara. Let my whispers become your strength."

Silence between them again, and Sakura took a few more seconds holding him before she began to pull back with a smile. Before she could fully pull away though, Gaara took the moment to finally will his frozen body to move and Sakura halted when she felt his small hands fall hesitantly onto her collarbone. His touch was soft, almost like a graze, yet his skin stayed in contact with hers, which was enough to stop the rosette from pulling away. He was indecisive with what exactly he wanted to do, and his hands still had not moved from their spot, but Sakura softly smiled as time passed once again between them. She understood his silent plight.

"It's alright," she eventually whispered.

His fingers twitched lightly then, her voice surprising and breaking his concentration.

"You can hug me back if you want," Sakura finished.

She couldn't see the boy's face, but heard him take in a sharp breath. Again, she wondered what went through his mind as he fiddled once more with his fingers on her skin. Was he uncertain what to do? Did he argue in his mind how he should perceive this action? Was he still reminded of the other he mentioned to her earlier?

Yet, while these questions swam through her mind, they stopped the instant she felt his small hands slide up her skin slowly before he wrapped his arms around her neck gently. Sakura lowered her neck closer to him when she felt his small embrace.

"You're giving me a hug?" she playfully asked with a smile.

He was silent, but her voice had given him a little more confidence to tighten his arms more around her neck, and Sakura was pulled in closer. To this, she smiled softly, and gently patted his back. She wasn't sure whether he held her because he was desperate for physical affection, or if this hug was his way of thanking her. Either way, it warmed the young woman's heart in a new way. A child's embrace was new to her, but was definitely inspiriting.

"Thank you," Sakura whispered, patting his back once more.

He still hadn't let go, but he had managed to finally find his voice through this whole circumstance.

"Why thanks?" he whispered.

As reluctant as she was to break this contact, Sakura's neck and back were starting to disapprove at the way she lowered to him for such a long period of time, and so she took the opportunity to pull back. His small hands protested for a second, but fell as well when she straightened her back and began twisting her neck from side to side. Looking back down at him, his eyes were curiously set on her, and she smiled.

"Because we all need a hug sometimes. Even me," Sakura answered him, and with truth to her words.

Because while his hug was new, and light, it gave her reassurance that her time spent here was not entirely wasted. This time, and place, was no longer hers, and it drove into her at times with uncertainty at how lax and adherent she had become with Gaara instead of working hard for an answer back home.

"Thank you," she said again.

His eyes wavered slightly to her words and he glanced at her neck before his eyes dropped to the palms of his hands. Sakura watched him while he studied his hands, and before long he narrowed his eyes at them before glaring back at her. For the rosette, her eyes widened the moment he turned angry eyes towards her. Before she could ask him what was wrong, he whispered with a deep tone.

"You're just like him."

Sakura sighed, before shutting her eyes.

' _Patience,_ ' she reminded herself.

Yet, along with that thought, she had an image of Gaara sweeping all she had just told him past his head, and she couldn't deny it made her short temper quake lightly.

"It's alright," she told him a sigh.

Yet, when her eyes met his again, his glare was unmoved. Instead of studying the teal gaze, Sakura took a moment to look at the small destruction around them. All around her and Gaara were plastic pieces, and stuffing. Never before had the child made a big mess such as this.

"Uhhh..." Sakura mumbled, looking all around her before back towards Gaara. "I don't suppose you could use your sand to clean this all up?"

Though his eyes were still stern on her, even after her question, he did let up after a few blinks and peered around the room along with her.

"You know..." Sakura called for his attention, smirking once he looked back up at her. "If you help me clean all this up quick enough, I think we may just have enough time to get some kakigori afterward."

* * *

"Slow down, you're putting too much syrup on it again! I keep telling you every time that you're making it wrong!"

The young woman barked at the rushing old man in front of her, tapping her foot impatiently as she watched him work. Frequent as much as she brought Gaara, almost daily, the vendor still made the sweet treat with haste. It left his culinary work sloppy and, for Sakura, the overly, sweet ice inedible. The rosette was well aware of the reason for his haste though; that the man simply rushed to be rid of Gaara all the more quickly out of fear. As regular as the two of them came, Sakura took this light acquaintance to the next level, and didn't hold back reminding the old man how to do his job.

"If you're going to bring him, at least bring him at night!" the vendor responded. "I'm hurrying because you're scaring off my customers."

Of course, this didn't mean the vendor held back his tongue for long. With the common visits, so too did the man become more accustom to the situation, and Sakura had learned his voice, and opinion, could be just as loud as hers.

"We haven't done anything wrong," Sakura replied, followed by a click of her tongue. "If people aren't coming it's not because of Gaara, but because you make your ice too sweet."

Sakura waited for his retort, but instead watched with curious eyes as the man leaned over his counter to hand off the cup to the redheaded boy. _That_ was a first, and Sakura was in awe at the scene. He often handed off the ice to Sakura, but approached Gaara without hesitation this time that it left the young woman a little baffled at first. Yet, a smile found her when she watched Gaara take the cup without any doubt.

' _This is how Gaara should be treated,_ ' Sakura thought, her smile growing all the more.

"Besides," the old man spoke, watching Gaara dive the ice into his mouth, "he likes it a little more sweet."

Turning back to Sakura, the vendor was caught off guard by her warm smile. He cleared his throat while turning his eyes away from her and back to the little boy, realizing then what had transpired between him and Gaara. Yet, he continued to play it off as if this was another routine night of their visit.

"I take it you want one as well..." the old man mumbled, already in the process of making another.

Sakura shook her head, instead stepping next to the boy and smiling warmly down at him before looking back up to the old man.

"It's fine," Sakura replied, "It's like you say, we'll get out of your way now."

He cleared his throat again more forcefully before speaking.

"That can't be helped. You're already here anyway, might as well take one for yourself..."

Sakura repressed a chuckle then sighed before placing a gentle hand on Gaara's shoulder. Too invested in his treat, Gaara paid her touch no mind and simply ate standing in his spot.

"Like I said, you make the ice too sweet," Sakura said.

Her glare on the old man returned then, and yet her smirk was that of a teasing one. The vendor understood Sakura then, and waved them off with a shooing gesture.

"If you're not buying another then go. I'm losing business with you two loitering around her," he mumbled before turning his back to the two of them.

As much as a right they had to stand there and let Gaara eat there in peace, Sakura decided to usher the boy along. It was the least she could do as a silent thanks to the old man for showing Gaara some respect. Yet, before she escorted the boy away, she spoke to him.

"Gaara, can you thank him?"

The boy said nothing, but did turn his eyes towards Sakura. Perhaps he was in wonder, for this was the first time she asked him of this.

"He made it just the way you like it. Do you understand? He makes it special just for you," Sakura said with a nod of her head.

The boy turned back to the ice, examining it a little more closely before his eyes blinked from it and back to the old man. He was silent for a minute, but finally spoke that brought another smile to Sakura.

"Thank you," he said with a quiet voice.

The vendor did not turn, or acknowledge Gaara's gratitude, but Sakura knew he had heard him, and once again directed Gaara away in time. They walked back in silence, such was the usual case when the child had that colorful ice in his hands. However, when Sakura remembered the toys broken from earlier, she spoke up.

"Should we go to the toy store? I told you I'd get you a new toy for breaking your others."

Sakura peeked an eye open to the boy next to her, watching him lick his red stained lips before he replied.

"No."

Sakura was wide-eyed surprise. Since when did kids ever say no to that sort of offer?

"Eh? Really? Are you sure? You only have like two or three left."

When Gaara shook his head, Sakura grinned.

"Wow, you're pretty selfless, aren't you?" Sakura said with a smile.

The boy took another few bites of his ice.

"I've played with all the toys from the store. They're boring," the boy said, to which Sakura's head fell slightly.

"Eh? You've been given all those toys before?" she mouthed quietly to herself, "I take it back then. You're kinda bratty still..."

These were words she would never reveal to the boy, just a label she pushed into the back of her mind while reminding herself that this side of Gaara would one day change. Yet, the more she thought about the toys, an idea suddenly came to her; but it was one she would keep secret to herself for the time being.

"Let's stop at the store real quick. I need to pick up a few things," Sakura said, grateful the boy didn't question any further.

In fact, her words were probably lost to him as he continued to indulge, and Sakura smirked playfully.

"Do you want to hold my hand while we walk there?" she asked.

Still no reply, Gaara's mouth was occupied with the spoon.

"How about you share? Let me have a bite."

Her words were only playful, and she teasingly inched her fingers towards the cup of ice. She got Gaara's attention quick then, and he glared at her with the spoon still in his mouth. Yet, the rosette only pulled back when sand formed a small barrier between the two of them.

"Definitely a brat," Sakura laughed.


	14. Chapter 14

"Are you awake yet?"

With familiarity came both rewards and consequences. While Sakura was always trying to look past and see the positive side of any given situation, she did have to admit her early wake up calls were not as appreciated as she let the boy think they were early on. To his question she fluttered her eyes open to glance at the time. Yet, when she saw dawn barely breaking into the sky she turned her back to the little boy and buried her head deeper into her pillow. She tried to mumble to Gaara to give her a little more time, but was pretty sure she lost the sentence midway through falling back asleep. He was unable interpret her words; that, or he simply did not care, for he began to poke her back lightly for a response.

"Sakura?" he asked quietly with each poke.

She still hadn't given him any indication she was awake, and before long his touch became keen and the call of her name grew louder in his voice.

"Sakura!" he managed out with his tenth poke.

The young woman groaned then, finally turning to face him and bringing her body slightly upright.

"What?!" she barked.

She didn't regret her tone in the slightest; if the boy was brave enough to poke the sleeping dragon, she was going to show off her flame and fangs to him. Yet, even to her brash tone the boy looked up at her with a small smile, unfazed by her temper.

"I'm hungry," he replied with a soft tone, opposite of hers.

To this, Sakura sighed. Where she was the dragon, Gaara was the sheep, and his soft voice had the young woman's temper sliding away. She stared at the little boy for some time in silence, debating whether his food would be made this early, or not. Yet, when a cool breeze hit her neck, she turned and eyed the open window next to her. It didn't take her long to realize the window next to that one was open as well, the one next to that one too. Soon enough, Sakura was turning her head all around the room, trying to spot a window that wasn't open. While this wasn't the first time Gaara had opened all the windows, it was the first she had woken up to them like so this early. It made her wonder slightly until the boy called for her attention again, and he did so by placing his hands onto her knee. Pushing her playfully.

"Sakura," he whined again, "wake up. I'm hungry!"

Maybe it was because she was still half-asleep, but the young woman couldn't help but frown at Gaara's sudden forwardness. Rarely did he touch her, hardly ever did he call her name, and normally did he strive for her attention like he was now. He was the lonely boy who was normally mute, only accepting Sakura's recognition on his good days. For him to wake her like he was now, focus solely on her, and with a happy smile, made Sakura feel slightly uneasy. Yet, she tried to shake it off, she should be happy the boy was in such a good mood! Even if this was quite a long stretch, she knew progress was always happening between her and Gaara's relationship.

The rosette's thoughts were lost when she felt grains suddenly snake around her ankles, and she shot up from her bed in a flash.

"Alright! I'm up!" Sakura said, turning to look at the little boy.

She was wide-eyed as he chuckled at the scenario. Laughs from him were extremely rare. Still, she tried to shake off the growing uncertainty.

"Gaara," she called to him, kneeling to her knee, "want to come down with me to get your breakfast?"

Now it was his turn to look up at Sakura with round eyes, surprised that offer even came to him. Tied to his room during the day, a chance like this never even crossed his mind.

"Remember when I mentioned that there's someone name Annaisha who makes your breakfast? I bet she'd be happy to hear you thank her for it," Sakura said with a smile.

The Gaara she was familiar with suddenly returned, and his eyes wavered slightly at Sakura's words.

"People don't like me..." he whispered with some time.

Hesitation in his voice, but there was also curiosity, and Sakura honed in on it.

"She'll be nice to you. I promise," Sakura whispered, bringing her hand to gently pat the boy's head.

Again, Gaara did something surprising, and brought his body closer to Sakura's touch. He leaned his head against her knee, letting her hand stroke his red locks. The act was so touching in Sakura's eyes that she didn't even second think this interaction, but instead studied his troubled frown. He was torn, she could tell, and she spoke to convince him once more.

"She's just like me."

But even those words weren't enough for Gaara, and Sakura eventually pulled her hand away. With her warm touch disappearing, Gaara turned to look back up at Sakura and watched as the rosette poked him playfully in the stomach.

"If it weren't for her, you'd have gone hungry long ago with your crazy appetite," Sakura said, her smile growing when Gaara giggled to her playful teasing.

And just like that, the dragon was able to convince the small sheep to follow her to the kitchen. He moved closely behind her, eying the plastic bag she brought along and stopping in his tracks only when Sakura did in front of the kitchen's entryway. Gaara watched as Sakura poked her head in curiously, her smile forming when she spotted the exact person she wanted Gaara to meet before she turned that smile to the boy below her. It was a reassuring grin, and one that followed Sakura into the kitchen.

"Annaisha, good morning," Sakura said.

The brunette had her back turned to Sakura, cooking on the stove, but began to turn upon hearing Sakura's voice.

"Sakura-sama!" the young woman beamed in her usual cheery tone. "Good morning to you too! You're up quite early. I honestly didn't expect you for another hour...or...two…"

Annaisha's voice slowed to a complete stop while her eyes grew wide to the sight of the redheaded boy who walked in casually behind the rosette. Gaara returned Annaisha's long stare with unmindful eyes, and Sakura could only stand back watching the two, hoping she had made a wise decision. When quiet seconds became minutes of growing tension, Sakura took the opportunity to walk next to Annaisha and placed her hand on the young woman's shoulder. Annaisha jumped high into the air at Sakura's touch, but the rosette was quick to try to settle her back down with words.

"Gaara," Sakura began, squeezing Annaisha's shoulder hard to stop her light shaking, "this is Annaisha. She is the one who makes our food here. She is the one I was telling you about, remember?"

"You told him about me?!" Annaisha hissed through her teeth, turning towards Sakura with angry eyes.

Yet, the brunette stopped short upon catching Sakura's warning gaze. Annaisha could see then that the most dangerous person in the room wasn't necessarily Gaara at this point, but in fact Sakura who gripped her shoulder hard still.

" _Mess this up, and I'll mess you up,_ " Sakura was silently telling her.

' _Why me?_ ' Annaisha mumbled, pouting to the ground before forcing her eyes back towards the little kid.

The brunette swallowed hard at the sight of Gaara again, but forced a trembling hand up before waving slightly to the boy with a strained smile.

"Good morning, G-G-Gaara-sama," Annaisha forced a laugh.

Despite the warm greeting, Gaara's eyes shrank to a narrow slit, and he glared at the woman with so much disfavor that it made Annaisha step back and turn once again towards Sakura.

"Sakura-sama! I can't do this! If-you-don't-take-him-now-I-am-going-to-run-and-then-he-is-going-to-chase-me-and-then-he-is-going-to-kill-me-and-then-you're-going-to-need-a-new-cook-and-then-!

Sakura practically slapped her palm against the anxious woman's mouth. Sakura halted Annaisha's voice, and tried once again to calm her.

"If you panic like this then, yes, he is going to get upset," Sakura whispered at the other woman. "Don't greet him like he's some kind of wild animal. He's a child, talk to him like one!"

Though her mouth was still covered, Annaisha's eyes betrayed her uncertainty still as they wavered looking back at Sakura's strong, emerald gaze. Yet, with time, the brunette nodded in understanding.

"Alright," she whispered back as Sakura pulled her hand away. "I trust you."

Another hard swallow, and another glance at Sakura before Annaisha built up her courage and took a step closer towards Gaara. His glare was still on her, watching her as she knelt down to his level and brought a small smile. She opened her palm towards him, as if offering him an invisible treat. To her approach, Gaara's eyes let up some while he now curiously focused on her open hand.

"We've crossed paths a few times before," Annaisha began speaking, earning Gaara's eyes back on her. "Yet, I don't think I've ever said one thing to you."

Silence filled the room as the two stared at one another while Sakura watched. Annaisha's face fell for a moment, eyes and lips contorting as if she was suddenly in pain, and Sakura had to wonder if the girl was struggling to apologize for not introducing herself sooner, or thinking of the right words to say. Yet, with time, came her decision and voice.

"My name is Annaisha. Your father brought me here this household to serve his children, including you..." she was quiet again, and the boy only looked up at her still with a little uncertainty while a soft smile began painting Annaisha's face. "...but, maybe we can be friends too one day."

Both Gaara's, and Sakura, eyes widened briefly to Annaisha's words. They had sounded so heartfelt, and even the rosette didn't think Annaisha could offer Gaara so much seeing how she feared the boy. Yet, the brunette kept her smile and eyes strong on the boy still, and even offered her palm to Gaara once more.

Maybe it was because Sakura had awoken to Gaara being an extremely good mood, or perhaps Annaisha's words touched his soul in a new way; Perhaps the rosette's words still rang in his mind to truth of this new girl, or it could have been because there was a chance someone caring wanted to be a part of his lonely life, a new friend. Whatever reason, Gaara slowly reached out towards Annaisha's hand, placing his small fingers into her palm. He let the brunette hug his fingers within her own hand, and watched her still, empty face, as she smiled gently down at him. It was his silent agreement to her, that yes, maybe one day. Though it would be a long journey, as Sakura knew it best, for as long as she had been there the boy only trusted her to some degree.

Sakura's thought vanished when she watched Annaisha drop her hold on Gaara and turn instead towards her. Though the young woman put up a standing, brave performance in the eyes of Gaara, the rosette could still see Annaisha's eyes shake some while looking at her. She was still uncomfortable, but willing to try, and the same could probably be said for Gaara, and that was all Sakura was asking of the brunette today. Sakura nodded as Annaisha stood back up, trying to show her appreciation to the young cook.

"Gaara and I were hungry for breakfast," Sakura said, strolling once more to the boy. "Is breakfast-"

"Done? Of course it is!" Annaisha beamed, trying to bring back her usual chipper self.

The girl began to babble on while turning back to the stove, her attention away from the two, and at that instant Sakura knelt down to Gaara.

"I told you she was nice," Sakura whispered towards him.

Yet, Gaara didn't reply, his eyes and concentration were set on the hand that had been held so warmly just moments ago.

"Want to eat breakfast in here instead of your room?" Sakura asked him.

She caught his attention then, He blinked a few more times in thought before turning his curious gaze towards the rosette.

"I'm not allowed..." he reminded her, but his voice was still hopeful.

"Who says?" Sakura asked.

The boy tore his eyes away then, a heavy frown on his face as he looked down at the floor. Even if he refused to utter who that man was, Sakura was very aware that the rule came from his father. So, she slowly brought her head lower to whisper to the boy, though a quiet voice was hardly needed over Annaisha's loud ramblings.

"I'm the one taking care of you, so I say you can eat here if you want," Sakura said.

Her smile was light as the boy turned back to look at her in surprise.

"Just remember, you have to behave and be nice."

Simple task, yet the boy was self-aware, even more so today, and once again looked below him in uncertainty. Recognizing his self doubt, Sakura quickly poked his stomach playfully to nab his attention once more.

"Hey now," she began, "don't make that face after I say that. It's really not that hard to do all that, is it?"

Again he didn't answer, instead gripping at his stomach where Sakura had poked him earlier while his gaze looked ahead of her. It was then the rosette glanced once more at Annaisha, making sure the brunette's attention was on the food at the stove before turning back towards Gaara. Sakura gently cupped his cheeks into her hands, bringing back the boy's attention as his eyes went round with shock to her touch. He didn't pull back as Sakura brought her forehead against his, her warm smile once again planted in front of him.

"I know how nice you are," she whispered, "let's show Annaisha too."

He was still quiet, still a little doubtful, but he did not tear away from Sakura or move his gaze away from her smile.

"Besides, it's nice to get out of that room sometimes. Right?" Sakura asked.

The boy was quiet for a few moments later, but soon enough nodded against Sakura's head in agreement, and the young woman was happy to see a small smirk appear on him. _Definitely_ a good day for him, she decided then. She pulled back slowly away from Gaara before turning to Annaisha.

"Would it be alright if we ate in here?" Sakura asked over the brunette's bubbling voice.

Sakura's question caused Annaisha to finally quiet and turn to the rosette in surprise. Still a little wary, she glanced between Gaara and Sakura while quiet in though. Soon enough, she forced a small smile.

"I suppose it will be a while before anyone else shows up..." Annaisha mumbled, before turning her gaze to Gaara. "If that's what the young lord would like, it's not my place to say no."

Sakura had to literally usher the redhead to the kitchen seat and table, for he was still a little uncertain that it made his feet freeze on the spot. Yet, soon enough, Sakura was able to convince him to climb up into his seat while she sat across from him. Waiting for their meal was when Sakura began opening the small bag she had brought down. Fabric, threads, a needle, it was all that was in Sakura's bag, what she had bought from the store, and she began working on sewing together some light blue fabric while conversing with Annaisha behind her as Gaara watched on in silence. It wasn't until Annaisha brought over their food was Sakura's work acknowledged.

"Ah!" the brunette beamed as soon as she caught sight of Sakura working. "I recognize what you're doing there!"

Gaara picked his head up to meet Annaisha's smile as she looked down at him before turning back to Sakura's stitching.

"You're very kind, Sakura-sama," Annaisha finished.

Sakura brought a finger up to her lips, signaling to the young woman to stay quiet about it in front Gaara. To this, the younger woman gently placed her hand on Sakura's shoulder, recognizing that the rosette didn't entirely have a grasp on what it was she was working on.

"If you ever need help with it, let me know! I've made a few before," Annaisha proudly whispered before turning from the two to continue cooking.

Pushing her work to the side, Sakura and Gaara began eating in silence while Annaisha entertained them with a small hum.

"Annaisha is a pretty good cook, isn't she?" Sakura asked the little boy across from her through her bites.

A few more bites from him, before he nodded in agreement.

"It's getting better, isn't it?" Annaisha laughed hearing Sakura's compliment. "I like it when things progress positively."

Sakura's face contorted upon hearing Annaisha's words, and her head and eyes even turned to look at the brunette's back suspiciously. Sakura opened her mouth, about to ask what the younger woman was actually speaking about, but stopped short when the patter of footsteps entered the kitchen. Yet, their steps had frozen, no doubt because of Gaara's presence, before Sakura even turned to see who had joined them. As soon as the rosette saw the three her body tensed just as much as theirs, and even Gaara had forsaken taking another bite of his meal as his eyes glanced over each one of them.

Baki, Temari and Kankuro had decided to join them, and while Sakura didn't mind the older man's presence since he had shown her before the Gaara's existence was tolerable on his part, the children behind him were staring wide-eyed, and fear-stricken at their youngest brother. The air suddenly grew thick while everyone refused to make a noise or move. Soon enough, Gaara's cold glare began morphing his small face as his eyes locked with his siblings, and before Sakura could diffuse the situation, the two older children ran from the room crying out.

Harmless, Sakura thought, until Baki hollered at the two children.

"Fools!" he cried, "Don't run!"

Before Baki even finished his last word, the air once again changed, and both him and Sakura were quick recognizing the suddenly, dangerous aura. Where the two older children had ran, Gaara had jumped out of his seat, wide eyed and nose flaring as he watched his siblings run off and was about to give chase. Yet, it was Baki who placed himself in front of Gaara, stopping him. Sakura too had managed to jump over the table to reach and take Gaara's arm, holding him back, and even Annaisha put a brave front, stepping in closer and analyzing the situation, seeing what part she could do at the moment.

The room was quiet and tense, and all three adults dared not lax given Gaara's intense look. Even if Baki was in front of him, Gaara's eyes were looking past him, thoughts probably on his siblings while his breathing suddenly grew heavy. Dangerous, the three could all silently label him at the moment, which made Sakura grip his arm harder. At first glance, she wondered what had suddenly triggered Gaara, but soon enough she began remember words everyone told her when she first came here.

" _Do not run,_ " they had all said, " _if you run, he will chase you._ "

Gaara pulled against her hold lightly, and Sakura realized then she was going to have to diffuse this situation. Yet, it felt as if the stillness in the air was keeping the boy back, and Sakura was wary voicing herself, worried the noise in turn would make Gaara unhinge. However, as he began pulling himself harder from her tight grip, she realized doing nothing was just as bad, and it also struck her then that the Ichibi in his mind was probably growing hungry at situation, and heralding the boy to snatch up his siblings to feed his voracious appetite of destruction.

"Don't," Sakura whispered, testing the waters with a soft voice.

Yet, his response was to try once again to pull his arm away from his hold. Her voice was going to have to be heard over Shukaku's if she wanted to calm the confused boy.

"Let go of me," he hissed.

His words made Annaisha step back while Baki looked down at him with doubt that words could win him over, but waited still on Sakura before making a move. It was all he could do anyway.

"I won't," Sakura said, voice growing a little more loudly. "Not until you calm down."

"Let go," Gaara said, his responses sharp and quick.

For Sakura, it no longer felt like she was speaking to a child like it had felt moments ago.

"Gaara," she whispered again, "remember what I've been telling you. Don't listen to _it_."

To her words Gaara turned to face her then, and with her hold still on him he glared face to face with her, seething with distaste.

"Let go of me!" he barked, once again trying to pull away. "If you don't I'll-! I'll… I'll..."

Sakura sighed as his voice began to break before he silenced himself. His threat went unspoken. With wavering eyes looking past the rosette, he didn't see her as she nodded towards Baki and mouthed at him.

"It's alright now."

Yet, as Baki's body relaxed and he took a few steps back, his movement had Gaara once again seething and glaring at the situation.

"Stop!" he suddenly cried in the room, once again trying to pull back from her hold.

Yet, he said these words with hesitation in his voice, and his eyes once again shook while staring at Sakura. For the rosette, she was able to read when the boy's demeanor changed back, and didn't even bat an eye to his threats. He was torn. Between her and the Ichibi, Gaara was unsure who to listen to then.. For Sakura, it made her realize what sort of bond was forming between them if Gaara even considered her words over the Ichibi's. So, even if she had to drag his feet towards her, even when his other hand gripped her arm, clawing her skin to try desperately to get her to let him go, she pulled him once again into a tight embrace where he let his tense body relax.

"Don't let him plague your mind," Sakura whispered into him.

It was then he retaliated against her hold, doing his best to squirm away and even trying to strike at Sakura who would just pull him back into a tight hug. Gaara did this not because her touch scared him, or her words angered him, but because the monster in his mind poured doubts into him once more, reminding him of the past, that his existence did not matter to anyone, that Sakura was just like his uncle, bound to hurt the child in the same way. Shukaku's echoes were growing more dark, trying to paint Sakura in a bad light to the little boy.

"Let my whispers become your strength," Sakura finished, holding him tighter.

A mental battle of words between Sakura and Shukaku, and it was poor Gaara's mind that served as the savage battlefield. Once again torn on who to listen to, he could only quake in the spot Sakura held him in while he struggled in his mind. For the young woman, even if the child was silent and only shook lightly, she knew when the little boy needed to hear her reassuring voice.

"You're not a monster," she reminded him, "You are Gaara."

Sakura won then, and even if the Ichibi in his mind growled back and murmured how she was a liar too, his voice went ignored as Gaara slowly brought his arms up to embrace Sakura as well, and he even buried his head into her body. She stroked his back lightly, reassuring him still with light words of comfort, and only stopped when Annaisha murmured towards her.

"Wow, Sakura-sama," she tried to whisper so that the boy may have his peace within the embrace. "You _really_ are good with children. This is quite the sight!"

Before Sakura could reply, Baki cleared his throat for her attention.

"May I have a word with you?" he asked as her eyes settled on him.

Sakura nodded, reluctantly pulling her body away from the now quiet boy. Looking down at him, Sakura could see his frown heavy, so she shuffled his hair lightly.

"Are you alright?" she asked him.

She was met with silence, and his heavy frown turned towards the floor.

"Hey now," Sakura said, "you should go finish your breakfast. It'll be gross if it gets cold."

Though she stuck her tongue out playfully, the boy's frown was still heavy and his eyes kept to the floor. He was like a sad puppy now, who turned away knowing he had done wrong. Yet, Sakura cupped his cheek then and brought his eyes back to meet hers.

"Don't make that face," she told him with a soft smile. "It may not seem like much, but just now… I'm very proud of you, Gaara."

His face went unmoved, but Sakura could see a small spark in his eyes before he tore away from her and went back to the table. Sakura studied him for awhile, amazed that the over-joyous morning he had could suddenly change to him wanting to attack another.

"I'm sorry, I didn't expect you three this early," Annaisha could be heard whispering to Baki.

All Baki could do was acknowledge Annaisha before glancing between her and Sakura.

"You'll be alright with him?" he suddenly asked Annaisha.

To that question, Sakura turned the two. And as highly placed as Baki was, his question to the young woman was with worry and doubt. Though others wouldn't catch on, given what Sakura had seen from the two before, it was evident more so now than ever that Baki held feelings for the brunette.

' _They love one another..._ ' Sakura thought while watching the smiling brunette glance at Gaara.

"He seems docile now. It'll be fine," Annaisha replied before looking back at Sakura. "Right?"

Hesitation in the younger woman's voice still, but Sakura was grateful that Annaisha had done so much already for Gaara that she nodded.

"He should be alright," Sakura said, turning to Baki after. "We won't be long anyway, right?"

"Yes, we'll make this quick," he said, gesturing Sakura to follow him out of the kitchen.

Before the rosette could exit, she could sense another pair of eyes on her suddenly, and she turned just in time to catch Gaara watching her make an exit. He suddenly looked rattled at her vague departure, and had even began descending from his seat to follow. She was quick to wave at him with a reassuring gesture.

"I'll be back in a minute," she said to make Gaara stop. "Be good for Annaisha."

He obeyed, but his stare was long, and it followed Sakura all the way out of the kitchen as she tread behind Baki towards another room. The older man stopped her when marble floor met carpet, and Sakura glanced around this study like room, her eyes falling to an old looking piano before Baki caught her attention with a low, echoing whistle. Sakura raised her eyebrow up at him when his gaze met with hers.

"Just calling Temari and Kankuro out," he offered her an answer.

"Ah, training today?"

Baki gave her a single nod, and Sakura couldn't stop herself from asking.

"What about Gaara?"

"Gaara's training is only done by Kazekage-sama."

"Which will be…?" Sakura trailed off, hoping the older man to answer.

However, Baki's frown was heavy and his lips were tight. He didn't have an answer for her, and Sakura sighed in defeat.

"Can't be helped then..." Sakura mumbled to herself, not even sure if she liked the idea of Rasa training Gaara.

"Sakura, there's something else I've been addressed to speak to you with."

To his serious tone, Sakura's eyes were caught up by Baki, yet her mind was suddenly riddled with questions. The word "addressed" made her suddenly wary of what Baki was going to tell her, for no doubt the addressee was the very man she felt hostile towards. Nonetheless, Baki continued without Sakura saying anything.

"Have you noticed Gaara acting out of the ordinary today?" Baki asked her.

This question caused Sakura to put up her defensive walls, protecting Gaara's name.

"If you're talking about what just happened I'd like to think him being able to stop himself isn't…" her voice came to a stop when Baki shook his head.

"I'm not talking about what just occurred or any past incident," he said, still stern. "I'm just talking about today in general. Earlier, maybe even this morning. His mannerisms, his speech, his requests...anything. Perhaps he was more energetic today? You've spent enough time with the child to know how quiet he often is."

Sakura said nothing as her eyes widened to Baki's question. The whole morning leading them to the kitchen had felt a little off, and her silence was the answer Baki was searching for.

"I see," he said, his voice breaking Sakura's thoughts.

She glared at Baki then, unsure how Rasa was aware of this small detail that had even Sakura confused this morning. Yet, whatever reason for Gaara's happier mood, Sakura only had doubt in her now that Rasa saw it in good light. Then again, she didn't fully grasp either that Gaara's sudden chipper mood was properly placed. She could admit, silently to herself, it felt off.

Baki caught her attention once again while he reached into his pouch and pulled out a small vial, full of red thick liquid, and held it up for Sakura to examine. It only took Sakura a few seconds to figure out what the red goo was.

"Blood?" she asked Baki, baffled at the vial he was showing her.

"Sakura," Baki said gravely, nabbing her full attention. "I tell you this, not because Kazekage-sama asked me to, but because I feel the need to warn you."

The rosette was again struck to silence, but eventually nodded for Baki to continue.

"These next few days may be your most ambiguous times yet with Gaara," Baki whispered.

The rosette was silent still, in shock to Baki's words. How could he be aware when Gaara would act out, or not? Did they have a secret calendar she wasn't aware of that dated the boy's mood?

"Kazekage-sama only asked me to remind you to be on your guard, and to be sure to watch him intently at night. Keep him busy, try to wear down his extra energy."

To these suggestions, Sakura could feel the anger that came as Baki, and everyone else, were once again misjudging Gaara. She _had_ been watching, she _had_ been making sure he listened and obeyed her, and she _had_ been damn sure he hadn't harmed anyone since her watch on the boy.

"What does he know?" Sakura sneered. "Gaara has been doing just fine, and now all of a sudden you're telling me he is going to suddenly act different? Why?"

"Because there will be a full moon soon," Baki said with a steady gaze.

Sakura's jaw hung slightly, lost for words. Something inside of her was telling her to speak up in Gaara's defense, that a certain phase of the moon wouldn't attribute to anything. Yet, something in the back of her mind was nit-picking her again. Like other instances before, the story of a full moon rousing the Ichibi sounded like a familiar one to her that it made her voice lost, and mind wonder who, and where, exactly that story came from. Baki took her silence as understanding, and he offered the small vial to Sakura.

"Take this," he said, "for if he grows anxious. There's additives in it to keep it from clotting."

Still somewhat lost in her thoughts, Sakura reached for the small tube filled with crimson without question. Yet, when she studied the blood a little more closely, she gasped realizing exactly what Baki just told her.

"Anxious?" she questioned. "Anxious of what?"

Baki only stared hard into Sakura's concern look, realizing then just how unfamiliar the rosette was to this situation. It made him question only for a second where Rasa could have possibly rounded up Sakura before she tore him once more from his thoughts.

"And what is this suppose to do?" Sakura asked, shaking the small tube. "How is blood suppose to help with anything?"

"The Ichibi is a terrible beast with a thirst for blood, and a need to kill, and Gaara's is its only way out into the world. The smell, or even the feel, of that blood may help to calm him down some."

When Sakura's eyes narrowed to the man, Baki sighed lightly.

"There's a reason why people fear Gaara, Sakura," Baki said, continuing even when he saw her open her mouth to protest. "There is a reason Kazekage-sama had to force you to watch Gaara. There is a reason the streets clear out at night. There is a reason Temari and Kankuro ran this morning. Gaara is unpredictable, and dangerous. As much as you may think otherwise, or doubt what everyone is telling you, tonight, tomorrow, or even the day after may have you second guessing your initial thoughts."

"Gaara may look dangerous to you, and everyone else, but not to me!" Sakura hollered, temper getting the better of me. "I've seen the good in him, I know the kind person he will become! You all treat him like some sort of monster, but he's not!"

She breathed heavily after her vent, and Baki stood there unmoved, simply staring at the vial she gripped on tightly, and praying for it not to shatter then on her palms. Baki opened his mouth to speak, but Sakura was hearing no more of it, instead storming out of the room and back to the kitchen. The tube of blood still in her hand.

"There's a reason you reached out to stop him earlier, Sakura," Baki called out, knowing her trudging form had heard him well.

Yet, for Sakura, as true as his words were then, denied the possibility even as the evidenced stacked inside of her mind.

' _He's a good person,_ ' she kept reminding herself. ' _He will be a good Kazekage one day._ '

He woke her up early simply because he was hungry, he was affectionate towards her more so today because she was the only one who showed him kindness, and he was only on edge earlier because he was excited meeting Annaisha. Possibilities to his random slightly different mood, and Sakura poured these ideas more into her head than she tried to remember Baki's warning.

"These next few days will not be any different," Sakura told herself through her march, only stopping when a sudden voice echoed in her direction.

"Gaara is going to kill you."


	15. Chapter 15

The voice had caught her full attention, and Sakura stood frozen in mid-step. The words sunk in before she slowly turned her head to the source of the voice. Temari stood there with a hard gaze, her colorful eyes staring at the rosette as if she was revolting. The young girl only sneered when Sakura was quiet to her remark, she had been hoping the woman would be rattled by her words, but instead it was only Kankuro behind her, trying to pull her away, whose voice could be heard.

"Don't be mean," he was whispering to her. "Sakura is nice."

To his words Sakura shook off her thoughts as she marched over to the young pair. As soon as the rosette stood before them, Sakura could see the worry once more in Kankuro's eyes, scared of reprimand. Meanwhile, Temari puffed her chest out even more, nose rising to Sakura's close presence.

"Forgive me," Sakura whispered, kneeling down to her knee.

Temari's eyes widened then, not expecting Sakura's apology.

"For?" the blonde asked, yet knowing very well what incident Sakura would speak about.

The girl's bravado broke then, shyness took over and Temari forced her eyes away from Sakura's stare. Her small body relaxed before sinking in to itself with a lowering back.

"At that dinner, I asked questions about your mother and uncle, and probably made assumptions that I shouldn't have," Sakura spoke again, placing a gentle hand on top of Temari's locks, earning back the girl's look. "I won't take back what I told you about Gaara, It's still something I still believe, that someday you both will love each other, but I never meant to make you upset or cry."

A heavy sigh came from the little girl, and her eyes were once again to the side of her.

"I didn't cry..." Temari mumbled. "I don't care about Gaara."

Temari took a step back away from Sakura's touch before speaking more.

"I just want him gone. If he was never born, I'd still have a mother. If he would have just died in the desert, then nobody else would have to die anymore."

Sakura opened her mouth, to retort, but stopped when Temari's glistening eyes met with hers.

"Gaara is going to kill you," she repeated, voice and eyes steady.

At first thought, Sakura assumed Temari to say such a cold thing as some form of resentment towards her. It seemed Temari held nothing but hostility towards her, why else would she say such a horrible thing to her, Sakura thought. However, that idea vanished with Temari's next words.

"I don't want him to."

Silence followed, for Sakura was letting Temari's words sink in while her eyes scoured Temari's own, searching for a hidden meaning. Yet, with time, the message became clear, and Sakura smiled softly at the girl.

"Don't worry about me," Sakura reassured her. "I've seen the kindness Gaara has in him. Maybe soon we can all play together. Just the three of us."

The young woman offered them hope, something they were always searching for. Despite how little they knew of Sakura, she spoke to reassure them, to make them feel better, she smiled towards them and tried to make them see the good in their brother; and to most of her efforts they appreciated her attempts, which in turn drew them closer to her. Temari offered a small smile of her own to Sakura, a silent agreement that she would anticipate for that day to come.

"Better hurry up," Sakura said while nudging her head to the side of her. "Baki is waiting."

As if the day hadn't already started off with many surprises, another one came when Temari bounced towards Sakura for a quick embrace. It had caught the rosette so off guard, that before she could return the hug, the young girl had backed away and was racing away. Shyness had gotten the best of Temari once again, and Sakura simply stared in the direction Temari had ran off to, still surprised the girl sought her affection so desperately.

Perhaps it wasn't only Gaara who was the lonely child in this home, and the more Sakura thought of that the more her heart ached for the little girl who had jumped for her. No doubt Temari was the only one with memory of their mother, even if it was only just a small trace, that Sakura had to wonder if Temari missed the warm hold only her mother could have given her.

"Surely Shiori, or Rasa, gives her..." Sakura began to whisper, but stopped short when she felt a pair of eyes on her.

Slowly she turned her head, this time eyes meeting with the first son. He stared at her curiously, something that made Sakura chuckle in time. He was, surprisingly, the quietest of the three with her, and it was obvious why Sakura hadn't noticed him lingering behind.

"Why are you always the one staying behind?" Sakura asked with a soft smile, before nudging her head once again. "You should go. They'll be waiting for you."

At that moment, Sakura began to pick herself up as well, knowing she was long overdue leaving Gaara with someone else. Yet, through the corner of her eye, she saw Kankuro reach out towards her with a means to stop her, yet apprehension came over him before he could actually touch the rosette, and instead he stepped back when her eyes turned back to his in question.

"Um..." Kankuro mumbled, unsure of himself.

Silence followed while Sakura placed herself back down to the boy's level, and with time, his dark eyes finally turned towards her emerald ones. By then, he had found the courage to finally speak what was on his mind.

"Is it true?" he asked, barely even a whisper.

Sakura tilted her head, unsure what he meant.

"Is what true?" she asked.

Kankuro's eyes fell then, a sheepish smile coming into play, but he did step closer to Sakura.

"What you said about Gaara. That he'll love us one day… Is it true?"

Sakura was shocked, and her eyes even widened to the boy's question. However, it wasn't because she suddenly had doubts that made her surprised, but instead by the fact that Kankuro remembered her words. He had taken her remarks into consideration, and judging by how apprehensive he was for her answer, his eyes focused entirely on her now, the possibility of Gaara loving him made Kankuro wishful for just that.

"Of course," Sakura answered no hesitation in her voice.

With no surprise to her, a smile began to grow on the boy's features. His eyes had shuffled away, mind warping at the very thought while he twiddled his fingers around each other. Even if the idea excited him though, he couldn't help but ask questions, and was glad Sakura had the answers for him.

"When?" he asked.

Sakura's smile didn't match his, instead her mind tried to pinpoint that exact change in Gaara's life. She couldn't be too sure, but nonetheless it was her blonde friend, and his silly grin, that flashed in her thoughts then. Naruto had been the successful one in changing Gaara's views, and the results that followed after were years away. Yet, with her around, this new change, would the amount of time be any shorter, she had to wonder. For that reason alone, along with the thought of her blonde friend, Sakura looked down at Kankuro with a blank stare.

"Hopefully soon," was her soft answer, earning back the eyes of Kankuro.

Though her face was fallen, the boy had a smile for her answer. Once again, he played and twiddled his thumbs sheepishly before explaining to Sakura all that he wished for.

"I-I always wondered what it be like if Gaara and me could play together," Kankuro's smile began to fall after those words. "I don't have many friends. They don't want to ever come here, or get near me."

Sakura's eyes widened then, her questions from earlier finally being answered. Gaara's siblings were indeed just as lonely as the small redhead, and this brother anticipated the thought of spending time with his own younger sibling. It made her think again, did Gaara ever have these quiet wishes like Kankuro had? Did he too imagine what it be like playing with his older brother?

' _A family..._ ' Sakura thought, looking down still at Kankuro with solemn eyes. ' _Those bonds. That's all we ever strive for, isn't it?_ '

Sakura shut her eyes then, trying to find the comfort and warmth that came with the mental images of her own family. Whether it was her parents, her friends, her teachers; for her, they were all family. She hated to imagine losing any of them, yet in this world, she already felt as though they were gone in an odd sort of way. The comfort she sought was lost as well, and her frown grew heavier thinking of her loved ones.

"Are you okay?"

It was Kankuro's voice that made Sakura's eyes snap back open, and her eyes locked to his worried look. Perhaps her face had shown more than she meant, and the rosette forced a smile then to reassure the brunette. She nodded in his direction.

"Yes," she whispered softly. "I'm alright. Just thinking about my family."

Yet, despite her words, Kankuro's frown remained and he studied Sakura for a few moments in silence.

"Are they not nice?" he asked eventually, positive the look she had a moment ago had not been a good one.

Sakura slowly shook her head, eyes looking up above as she tried to recall each one of their smiling faces.

"No," she answered plainly. "They are my world. My family, and friends, mean everything to me."

She blinked a few more times above her as Kankuro watched on, slightly mesmerized as a smile finally grew on her. Opposite from before, the comfort finally found her, and she mentally basked in that warmth.

' _Everyone, I'll see you all again. Soon,_ ' she told herself.

Sakura took another silent moment for herself before her warm gaze fell back to Kankuro. His cheeks had turn a few shades pinker, and with her eyes now on him, Kankuro jumped to being caught admiring her and forced his eyes once again to the side. To this, Sakura chuckled lightly. His blush deepened then, and the young woman was only able to bring his attention back when she stuck her fist towards him. The young boy stared at her hand for some time, wondering what all Sakura meant with her gesture before turning his eyes up towards her in question.

"Since you don't have many, I'll be your friend, if you'd like," Sakura grinned, motioning her fist towards him again.

They boy's eyes widened in surprise then, and he was at a lost for an answer. He did this not only because Sakura offered friendship, but because what all it entitled as well. She had just smiled so warmly thinking of her friends, telling him that they meant everything to her. Would this include him now? Would her smile grow when she thought him in the same fashion she did others just moments ago? These warm thoughts raced in his mind, and only was he brought back from his thinking when Sakura again inched her fist at him.

Unlike Gaara, the boy in front of her needed little convincing, and even grinned as he brought his own fist to bump to Sakura's. His fist came a little harder than she expected, perhaps he was trying to show off his strength, but Sakura nonetheless grinned back at Kankuro's own smile now.

"Friends?" Sakura asked.

"Friends!" Kankuro replied.

Sakura's grin fell back to a soft smile then. Something inside of her warmed at the sight of Kankuro over joyous in front of her.

"Will we be friends forever?" he asked.

Sakura nodded.

"Forever."

Kankuro's happy eyes fell then, and he once more he twiddled his fingers.

"You'll come play with me soon then?"

Sakura smiled at the innocent question before sighing and standing herself back up.

"When I have time, I promise to play with you too," she replied, walking towards the boy and playfully ruffling his hair. "But for now, you should get to your training. You want to become stronger, don't you?"

The boy's eyes widened then, remembering he had spent too much time here. He mentally cringed at the thought of his sister berating him for making her, and Baki, wait so long.

"R-Right!" he replied before sprinting from Sakura. "I forgot!"

Sakura stood silently listening to the boy run behind her, yet before she even took a step she heard Kankuro's small shoes skid to a halt.

"Sakura!" he called back. "Tell Gaara to hurry up and get better soon so we can all play together soon!"

Sakura froze to those words, and Kankuro didn't wait on her on her reply before leaving her to her thoughts as he ran back to join his teacher and sister.

' _Get better?_ ' Sakura repeated Kankuro's words is her mind.

She knew better than to think Kankuro didn't quite grasp the situation. He was a smart boy, he understood to an extent that Gaara wasn't right in his mind, yet Sakura couldn't help but wonder if that was how the brunette, and maybe even his sister, perceived their youngest sibling. Did they think him sick? That his mental and emotional struggle was just an illness he hadn't quite gotten over yet? It was possible the two children didn't understand that the struggles Gaara had already gone through were going to affect him for the rest of his life. Even if he was undoubtedly to overcome hardships and change himself to a better man in the future, his struggles were sure to follow him to his death.

What was happening to Gaara now wasn't sickness. It wasn't like medicine or some sort of pill was going to heal him in days time. He had a disorder, and it came from two sources. The Ichibi, and the people who mistreated him throughout his life so far. In truth, Gaara was never going to _get better_ , but he was going to learn from it, and grasp one day what was acceptable behavior and what wasn't.

Yet, as Sakura had these thoughts while making her way back to the child, she knew Kankuro's heart was in the right place. One day too the brunette would understand what in the same light Sakura did, and it would be that understanding, and the sympathy that came with it, that would help these two brothers come together. It brought a smile to her face at the thought.

That smile only grew when she stepped into the kitchen.

Her presence went unnoticed by the two, instead they had their backs turned to her. Gaara stood on a wooden stool, barely reaching the counter both he and Annaisha stood in front of. Sakura peered quietly behind them, watching as Gaara was slowly spinning a large spoon in a bowl that held what looked to be like batter. Meanwhile, Annaisha was standing next to him, explaining to him what they were making and what the ingredients were.

"You're doing an excellent job, Gaara-sama. Let me know if your arm gets tired," Annaisha could be heard saying, slowly pouring a small cup of flour into the mixture.

Gaara said nothing, eyes still fixed on the batter, but nodded in understanding. It was at that point Annaisha took notice of Sakura, giving the rosette a small wink.

"Gaara-sama is helping me bake some cookies," Annaisha explained. "It seems somebody keeps snatching them away at night, we were needing more."

Sakura chuckled then.

"Couldn't tell you who the culprit is," Sakura said before remembering Temari and Kankuro. "It may be more than one person. There are three very, hungry children in this home."

Annaisha giggled and stuck her tongue out playfully before turning back to Gaara and giving him words of encouragement. With that, Sakura returned to the table, picking up where she left off with her blue fabrics and thread while listening to Annaisha speak with Gaara. It was a one-sided conversation, much like the luck Sakura had with Gaara most of the time, but the most important fact wasn't whether Gaara returned words or not. The most important things were that someone spoke to him with a level of respect, and that he listened to them. He was taking into consideration peoples words and thoughts. He followed Annaisha's directions, and didn't retort or lash out angrily in any way. It almost made Sakura a little envious that Annaisha's first experience with Gaara had gone over so smoothly compared to hers. Yet, the more she thought about it, the more she came to realize that this scenario would have probably not come to fruition without everything she had already instilled in the boy.

The two worked together mixing the ingredients. Gaara watched as Annaisha rolled out the dough they prepared together before the woman helped him to cut out different shapes. Sakura meanwhile continued to work on in silence, engrossed with her task, that she didn't even notice when the little boy came to her side at first. He stood there, silently waiting for her eyes to turn to him, and only did they do that when she happened to catch a glimpse of red hair in her outer vision.

"Ah, sorry!" Sakura apologized, setting down her work and trying to hide her work from the boy.

Yet, Gaara paid it no mind, for it seemed he had another task at hand. With his arms outstretched, the young woman stared at his open palms. He was holding a few cookie cutters out in front of him.

"Pick one," he ordered the older woman with a blank tone.

Sakura's eyes widened in surprise before she glanced back at Annaisha who winked as soon as they made eye contact. She held a grin while watching both Gaara and Sakura.

"Let me see," Sakura said, eying each cutter.

Yet, before long, her eyes were back on Gaara with a smile.

"I think you should pick. You worked hard, and helped Annaisha to make them. You should choose which cutter to use."

Sakura could hear Annaisha giggle to the side of her, and watched as Gaara's eyes fell and a small tint of pink painted his cheeks. Sakura was surprised to see him actually bashful in the presence of others. Maybe this was because Annaisha had suddenly become someone just a little closer to him, and her laughter made him a little more self-conscious. The woman's amused chuckled carried on, even as she turned from them, and Gaara eyed her momentarily before slowly turning back to Sakura. He looked to be debating with himself in Sakura's eyes, but soon enough regained back the courage to usher Sakura closer towards him.

The young woman did just that, tilting her ear towards him when she realized he was aiming for that. He brought his hands up to cover his whisper lest Annaisha hear, which made Sakura smile at how obviously shy this small boy could be. She didn't think his older self was this same way.

"You pick," he whispered quietly to her, and it made her turn once again to him.

"I think you should," Sakura replied.

Again, he reached for her ear, and she was quick bringing it back down to him. It took him a few moments to speak, instead he filled her ear with warm breaths while he struggled with his courage again.

"I'm making it for you," he muttered.

He pulled back from Sakura then, tilting his head while he tried to read her slightly surprised look. It explained now why Annaisha chuckled wholeheartedly since the beginning of this situation, why Gaara was nervous asking the rosette anything, and why he blushed to the brunette's laugh. To her less than quick answer, the boy took a step back, eyes beginning to narrow with confusion. Sakura caught on quick with the sudden ambient change, and turned her warm smile back to reassure him before glancing back down at his hands and taking in her options.

"Gaara," she murmured nonchalant as she brought one of the cutters up in front of her. "You're a very sweet kid. You know that?"

Gaara's reply was just a small, quick grunt that he had heard her words. His attention was instead on the rosette, watching her with a blank expression as she brought up a heart shaped cutter to her face level. Though he hid it well, he was curious to her actions. At that point the young woman shut one of her eyes, smiling as Gaara's face fit perfectly framed inside the cutter.

"I see a small, sweet boy growing up to become a kind, gentle man," Sakura murmured, almost laughing as Gaara's expression did not change.

Soon enough, she handed the heart-shaped cutter back to Gaara.

"This one," she offered finally. "I think it's the prefect one for me."

Gaara took a moment to stare at the cutter before turning back to Sakura. He gave her a quick nod before he made his way back to the other woman.

"Thank you, Gaara!" she called.

Sakura watched as he trudged back to Annaisha. And her smile grew as Gaara offered up her choice cutter to Annaisha. The brunette smiled down at him before pointing and explaining once again the process they were going through. The rosette watched them together for a few minutes longer before going back to her threading and stuffing. She tried to listen in on all that Annaisha was telling Gaara, but voices were soon drown out by her own thoughts, and her work became almost involuntary while her mind went back to all that Baki had told her.

' _I want to believe. I really want to, but..._ ' Sakura spoke to herself, eyes furrowing when doubt came to her.

Upon first hearing it, she blew up on Baki and blamed everyone for viewing Gaara in the wrong, which, were true words. Yet, now that she had time to cool down, to dwell on the situation at hand, Sakura realized now that tossing out all that Baki had told her would be foolish. After all, they had spent years with the boy whereas she still considered herself new to his life. Did she think Gaara to become some bloodthirsty animal today like Baki had mentioned might happen? The answer to that was a definite no. Did she think he might be restless tonight, act up in his own way? To that, she did have to admit to herself that that idea was possible. Hopefully she could just distract him tasks, and play, much like what was happening now, and Gaara would give nothing else much thought.

' _No sleep for me tonight,_ ' she decided then.

A small clap resonated within the kitchen, one that came from Annaisha as she turned to Gaara with a smile.

"They'll sit in the oven for a bit. After that, you can eat some fresh cookies. You deserve it! Can you wait here with Sakura for them?"

Gaara nodded at the brunette and stared at her smile before looking back to her brown eyes.

"Great!" she beamed, making her way out of the kitchen. "I think you'd make a great baker, Gaara-sama."

She waved to the boy before walking past Sakura and offering her a smile as well. Though, the rosette did not turn towards her, still focused entirely on her thoughts and her thread and needle.

"They should be about an hour. I should be back before they're done. I just need to go out and grab some ingredients," Annaisha said, but only smiled as her words flew past Sakura's ears.

To this, the brunette shrugged. She didn't have the heart to tear Sakura away from the task she was working so hard with. So instead, she offered another goodbye, one that still did not nab Sakura's attention, before leaving the rosette and small boy alone. The room was filled with silence at Annaisha's departure. A silence that Sakura usually broke being with the small boy. Yet, with minutes passing, and Gaara watching and waiting for her acknowledgment, he began to grow slightly anxious. He had began becoming accustom to a voice during the day, only the past and night held silence since Sakura's arrival, and this long quietness made his small heart begin to race.

Gaara walked up next to Sakura, standing right beside her while waiting on her still. Yet, unlike Annaisha, he didn't understand how engrossed Sakura was of her task, and felt himself confused when the rosette still didn't turn to face him. For the moment, he watched her stitching and allowed his mind to linger on thoughts and questions of his own. For a moment, the young boy was able to comprehend how Sakura, despite all she seemed to know of him, did not flinch or run away when he drew near. That thought dwelled in his mind for a moment, thinking back at many other times he found his courage to approach others just to simply have them run away in fear, or disgust.

His innocent thinking began to take a turn to a more darker place as he recalled the many faces that looked down at him. Were he alone, Gaara would unintentionally let these hurtful thoughts plague and frustrate him. The only happy, and good, experiences he could fall back on were just as aggravating as well. Even more so since he learned Yashamaru's true feelings towards him. For the little boy, bad days were much more accustom to him than good ones. In a sense, he could understand the unfairness of it all. He knew he was different, knew there was a monster inside of him that people feared. He understood all this, but hadn't had anyone to teach him how to overbear and overcome. His uncle had tried, and his betrayal made Gaara doubt his teachings, and also made him question Sakura's own many times.

Above everything though, it made him angry.

Only when he could hear a dark echo trying to reach him in his mind did Gaara suddenly reach for Sakura. Despite his uncertainty of her, and what she wished to accomplish with him, her selfless actions spoke to him still. Her words rang in his mind as well.

" _Let my whispers become your strength._ "

Sakura did not flinch, or jump, when she felt someone suddenly bury their face within her lap. She knew who the culprit was even before catching a glimpse of his red locks. She smiled down at his red hair before setting aside her little project and bringing to her hand to stroke his head.

"Gaara," she softly said, "are you and Annaisha finished?"

At the mention of the brunette, Sakura finally took notice that it was once again only her and Gaara. The little boy nodded his head against her lap still, his hands gripping slightly on her clothes. Sakura was impressed that Gaara answered her so willingly today, but at the same time couldn't help but shake off the thought that this was only because of what Baki told her. She continued to stroke his head, silently and in thought. Gaara did not protest this action, her voice and attention was something he sought moments ago, and even her affectionate touch was starting to become welcoming. They stayed like this for moments until Gaara shuffled his head to rest it against the side of her lap. He even emitted a small sigh of relief when her hand came back down to stroke his locks. Gaara's movement made Sakura shake off Baki's words, and instead focus on the little boy who nestled his head in her lap.

"Did you have fun baking with Annaisha?" Sakura asked.

The boy nodded.

"It's hard work, isn't it?" Sakura asked, smiling when Gaara nodded again. "Annaisha has to do this everyday, for everyone that lives here."

The boy didn't reply, and the moment was silent again as Sakura stared down at Gaara.

"Maybe once in awhile I'll bring you down here to help her. Would you like that? I'm sure she'll be happy to have another chef in the kitchen."

"More cookies," was Gaara's soft reply, and it made Sakura chortle.

Her head rose afterward, staring off to the side of her with a small smile.

"Who would have thought _you_ ,of all people, were obsessed with everything sugar," the young woman whispered, Gaara's older self in her mind.

She tried a pinpoint a time she had seen Gaara, from her time, indulge himself in something sweet, but couldn't recall. Then again, it wasn't as if she was by his side constantly. Her and Gaara only bumped into one another once in a blue moon. At the thought of Gaara, her mind once again began to wander more about the older redhead. She was silent again for some time, unconditionally stroking the boy's hair still, and thinking back of all her past experiences with an older Gaara. In a way, it was hard to comprehend the boy in her lap now would one day become the man she knew to be Kazekage.

"You will become a great man," Sakura eventually whispered.

Gaara did not move from his spot, but Sakura could feel his small fingers fidget lightly against her leg. She wasn't sure if he did this because he doubted her words, or it had all been just a coincidence, but something inside her wanted to speak out. To make him _believe_ all that she was saying was true.

"You will be a strong ruler. Everyone will look up to you," Sakura softly said.

Again, his fingers twitched and gripped at her skin. She was well aware now that he took in her words, but was obviously uncertain how to feel about them.

"Everyone will follow you."

Another tight grip came from the boy, but he eventually released his hold and relieved a breathy sigh. He didn't make any remark to her to comments, just instead let his thoughts wander, and relish to her touch. They shared a few more minutes in silent tranquility before Sakura rested her hand on of the boy's head and looked back down at him. Gaara didn't move still, and the young woman's smile grew at the thought of what Gaara would become, and all that he had accomplished today. He had let someone new into his life today, was able to listen to Sakura to help stop himself from attacking his siblings, and even spent time with Annaisha all while taking her lessons in. It made her feel so much more relieved that even if the process was slow, he was learning to overcome.

With all that in mind, she wrapped her arms around the small boy before lowering herself to embrace him. She felt him stiffen for only a moment before relaxing when he realized she was engulfing him in another tight embrace. Even if he would probably deny if she asked, Sakura swore she could even feel the small child draw in closer to her hold, taking in her words once more.

"I'm so proud of you. I will always be proud of you, Gaara."


	16. Chapter 16

The rest of the day had been spent in the kitchen. Gaara was still eager to help Annaisha finish the cookies once she returned, and the brunette and redhead had even worked on dinner together. Meanwhile, Sakura busied herself silently with a needle, grateful the young woman watched Gaara and secretly gave Sakura a small break to herself.

"You're not tired?" Annaisha would ask the small boy time to time, and Gaara would answer with a shake of his head. "I wish I had your energy! I could get so much work done if I didn't need to sleep."

Gaara helped Annaisha to clean up after dinner too, drying dishes as Annaisha past them off wet and washed. As twilight began outside, Annaisha announced that they were finished for the day and Sakura looked back up towards the two hearing that announcement.

"I was thinking of taking a small walk, to get some fresh air now that it's cool. Would you like to join us?" Sakura suddenly asked.

Yet Annaisha was already shaking her head, and raising her hands up in protest, by the time Sakura finished her question.

"Maybe another day," she offered with a bright smile. "I need to get some training in."

Sakura began to nod in understanding before seeing Annaisha's sudden, pondering look. The brunette looked deep in thought, even placing a finger on her chin and humming, and Sakura had to wonder if she was reconsidering. Yet, before she could ask again, Annaisha spoke up.

"Kazekage-sama also asked to see me when I had the time. I suppose I should stop by tonight."

First instinct for Sakura was to glance at Gaara. At the mention of his father, Sakura was unsure how the boy perceived knowing Annaisha favored the man he feared. Yet, Gaara kept his back turned to them, focusing on the cookies Annaisha had laid out for him to keep. Perhaps he chose to ignore them then, or cared not at the mention of his father right now. Second came when Sakura's eyes narrowed with question towards Annaisha. There was the obvious chance that Rasa and Annaisha's business didn't have anything to do with Gaara and her, yet Sakura still couldn't shake off an uneasy feeling that it just might be. He was still not the good guy to her, and she had grown just as wary about him as Gaara was.

"Have a good night, Sakura-sama. Thank you for letting me borrow your friend to help," Annaisha announced, breaking Sakura's thoughts.

"Ah," Sakura quickly replied, nodding towards the brunette. "It's you I need to thank, for giving Gaara a chance. I know he really appreciates it. We both do."

Annaisha's eyes flashed then, Sakura could see some sort of sadness, or guilt, in her distant gaze before the brunette forced a smile back on her again. The quick, empty glance panicked Sakura for a moment until Annaisha spoke again, her smile growing along with her words.

"You're doing good, Sakura-sama. Don't ever doubt the decisions you make for him, or let anyone think you're doing something wrong."

Annaisha paused for a moment before her head turned and eyes fell to the little boy.

"If you hadn't come into his life, he would probably have no one. That's kind of a sad thought, isn't it?" the brunette whispered.

At that point Sakura's eyes turned to Gaara as well. Was that why that flash of emotions happened in Annaisha's eyes? Did she feel guilty at the way she perceived and treated Gaara before today?

"I can only see him becoming a better person with someone like you by his side. I hope you won't let anyone try to tear you two apart."

Sakura's eyes widened then, surprised by Annaisha's final words. Her gaze was quick back towards the brunette's and where the younger woman held a smile before, her face was now blank and distant, and her stare was hard on Sakura. Sakura opened her mouth to question, but stopped short the moment Annaisha's face quickly morphed back into a giant grin.

"Sorry!" she apologized. "I'm just rambling nonsense again, aren't I? Baki is always telling me I do that!"

Annaisha chuckled then before turning and calling out to Gaara.

"Bye bye, Gaara-sama! You can come help me make cookies any time!"

She nabbed the little boy's attention then and Gaara slowly turned his head back to her. He stared blankly and silently at her waving form. At first glance, it looked as if the boy cared none for her departure. Yet, in time, he turned fully to face the brunette and slowly brought his hand up for one, small, sheepish wave on his own.

"Bye," he whispered.

Sakura watched Annaisha give both her and Gaara one more reassuring smile before she left them alone together. At that time Sakura was silent and still trying to analyze Annaisha's words. As uplifting as they had been, she still felt uneasy at the thought of her going off to Rasa.

"Sakura?"

His call to her had been a soft one, but Sakura was quick turning to the boy who made his way next to her.

"Yes?" she answered him, their eyes locking.

He was silent, but offered her a cookie with a glint of amusement in his eyes.

"Yours," he said before she slowly took the treat from him.

She smiled when she recognized its heart shape from the cutter she chose earlier.

"Oh!" she beamed enthusiastically. "Is this the cookie you made for me?"

He nodded fast, his small smile growing while his eyes glanced between her and the treat.

"Eat it."

For Sakura, the small sweet was symbolic in a way. It showed her that Gaara thought of her enough to care to make something for her. So, it made her a little sad that this cookie wasn't a momentum she could keep forever. Yet, she shrugged that thought away. Even if the cookie would be gone, the memories would definitely remain fresh. So, she popped the small baked good into her mouth, eyes widening towards the boy to overemphasize its taste. A long, exaggerated hum of pleasure vibrated within her mouth.

"Mmm, it's so tasty!"

The boy's smile grew bigger then, and he watched her until she was finished eating what he had prepared for her.

"You'd make a good baker. Maybe Annaisha can teach you to become one," Sakura finished, smiling down at the boy.

The child lost himself to that thought, perhaps considering the possibilities, and the two of them were silent once more.

"You had fun today?" Sakura eventually asked Gaara.

His attention fell back on her, and he only gave the question a short thought before nodding to answer Sakura yes. The young woman's smile turned toothy then.

"I'm so glad. Annaisha is super nice! I bet she already thinks of you as friend," Sakura added.

The boy's eyes had been wandering slightly around the room as Sakura spoke, but his movements froze as soon as the rosette's words hit him like an electric jolt. Again, he was quiet in thought before turning slowly to Sakura with a somewhat, surprised expression. The young woman understood him as being doubtful to what she was saying. Friends for him never came, six years had been more than long enough for him to realize that no one would treat him with a welcoming hand. Yet, somehow, here was this pink-haired woman explaining to him, even before she knew him, how they were already friends; and here she was again, claiming Annaisha could be the same for him.

These six years had been long, and trivial. He had no one up to his point besides his uncle; a man whose only teaching Gaara held onto was that betrayal came from those who claimed to care for you, and to only live for yourself. It made him doubt Sakura in many ways, and at many times.

And yet…

The child in him held on to that sliver of hope. The one that reminded him that Sakura had shown him kindness thus far, and that her words had been sincere. She claimed friendship, and so far, as much as Gaara knew of that word, she kept that claim true. So, at the idea of someone else, Annaisha, being someone just like Sakura, the boy couldn't contain his growing smile.

' _Friend,_ ' he repeated in his mind before looking back up to Sakura.

"She's my friend?" he asked in a quiet voice, worried slightly Sakura might retract what she had said.

Yet, Sakura wasted no time nodding to the boy.

"I'm sure of it!" she explained.

To this, the boy looked out in front of him, his smile still strong.

"Do you think I can have more?" he asked.

Sakura chuckled. She knew very well what the future held for Gaara. She reached for the young boy again, brushing his hair as he locked his gaze with her.

"I am certain, one day, this entire village will think of you as a friend," Sakura explained.

Gaara's eyes scoured the floor then, once again lost in thought and trying to process when, and how, this would happen. He was doubtful, but more so hopeful to Sakura's words. A small part of him was trying to remember why her words were false, yet a bigger part of him was ecstatic at the thought.

"When?!" he eventually asked her excitedly, making the young woman chuckle again.

"One day when you're older," Sakura said through her laughs.

The boy again narrowed his face with the thought, but before he drowned himself in questions once more, Sakura poked his shoulder playfully to nab back his attention.

"If you're nice to others, like you were with Annaisha today, it will happen sooner than later," Sakura explained.

With eyes locked again, Gaara took her words in for a few moments before smiling softly. It was then Sakura knew he would hold those words dear for many years, anticipating for that day to come. Their eyes and smiles were on one another for some time before Sakura turned to the window to stare at the night sky. She glanced at the big, bright moon, it's presence once again ringing Baki's words into her mind.

" _Have you noticed Gaara acting out of the ordinary today?_ "

" _His mannerisms, his speech, his requests...anything._ "

" _These next few days may be your most_ _ambiguous_ _times_ _yet_ _with_ _Gaara._ "

A small sigh left Sakura then, and her smile fell as well when she remembered the tube in her pocket. Today, had been different, she could admit, but it also had probably been the best day for Gaara. The boy had been more open than usual, especially to Annaisha, yet Sakura could see no harm in it. If anything it signaled to her that her teaching's were finally getting though to him. She hated to think today was a link to something much darker to come, and even at that thought she tried to shake away her doubt.

' _No,_ ' she told herself. ' _I won't believe it. Everything that happened today has nothing to do with what Baki said. Whatever he, or Rasa, are expecting to come will not happen._ '

That is what she believed. Wanted to believe. _Tried_ to believe…

Her eyes had fallen back to the boy, and like her, his smile had fallen and he too stared at the window that invited the both of them to the outside world. If it was extra energy the boy was having today, she knew very well some fresh air and a walk would help to calm him. It always worked with her.

"Want to go outside for a bit?" Sakura eventually asked. "I'm kind of getting burnt out being in the room all the time."

The boy wasn't as quick to answer her this time around. Instead, his gaze was locked towards the window for some time, and it was only after long seconds that he tore his blank expression to her and nodded in agreement. Sakura gave him a reassuring smile then, one that he did not return, before she pushed her materials and work to the side and ushered the boy along to the lead the way.

They stepped out into the warm night, a cool breeze offering some relief now to the hot air from before. The brightest stars were now twinkling through the darkening sky as dusk began its transition into night. At the sight, and feel, of it all Sakura embraced the fresh air with a breathy sigh. Her look fell to the boy next to her, glancing to see if he would relish that fresh air in a similar way; after all, he was just as chained to his room as much as her, but instead saw his gaze looking up towards the dark sky. Sakura followed his eyes, wondering if he was staring up at the beauty that was the changing night sky. However, when her emerald orbs rose to the giant, glowing, pale moon, the rosette hesitated for a moment. Baki's warning once again swimming through her.

' _No,_ ' she told herself. ' _I'll believe he won't act any differently tonight._ '

She looked back down at Gaara, who had gone unmoved.

' _I want to believe._ '

She offered her hand to the little boy then, hoping to draw his attention away from the radiant orb and back to her. For the moment, it worked, and he stared at her open palm before his stoic gaze went to her eyes for an explanation.

"I'll let you hold my hand," Sakura said gently.

The offer stood in Gaara's mind then, and he eyed her soft fingers once more. Meanwhile, Sakura stood motionless, hoping the young boy would finally take her up on her offer. Even when his teal stare slowly rose back to the moon, Sakura didn't deter away.

"Gaara," she called again, his eyes again falling back to her. "If you make me wait, I may just leave you behind."

It wasn't until only after she said those words did she realize how much of an impact of what she said may strike the lonely boy. She expected a glare from him then, eyes of warning. Instead, he blinked slowly at her, his gaze and face giving away no emotion. When his eyes finally fell again to her palm, that was when he slowly made a reach for her hand. Outwardly, Sakura remained still, but inwardly her heart turned more rapid, and she could even hear her heartbeat within her mind as she watched boy brush the skin of her palm.

Like so many times before, he was cautious and wary, even if his face gave no indication of that. He was Gaara, meant to be alone. He told himself he would never let himself get close to another, like he had with Yashamaru, ever again. In his mind was the embedded will that he would only live for himself. The word love was just that to him, a word.

And yet…

He touched her hand gently with his fingers, examining it closely, and deciphering what action next to take. This type of physical embrace was always deeply desired by Gaara, yet he was mindful that Sakura had a mind he couldn't read. She was caring of him, attentive to his requests, treated him with respect. She took care of him when no one else dared to draw near, just like his uncle had. Gaara had learned Sakura was a lot like his uncle.

And that thought frightened him.

"Yashamaru..."

Sakura's eyes widened for a moment to Gaara's quiet mumble. As the boy continued to graze her palm with his fingers, she was certain his voice had betrayed his thoughts then. That whisper wasn't meant for her ears, and the very breath that was his uncle's name was probably not even meant to leave him. He must have not known it slipped, for he paid her no mind except to her open palm, so Sakura didn't acknowledge it, and she just simply again nudged her hand towards him. To her movement Gaara suddenly pulled his own hand back then, cradling his hand like she had burned him. His eyes were on her now, and the rosette sighed in defeat. She too was about to draw her hand back, and encourage him with words that there would be a next time when he was ready.

That's when he reached for her again.

His arm moved slower than before, but Sakura dared not move as she stared in wonderment while the boy began entwining his fingers with hers. His small digits moved between hers in different directions, as if he was trying to figure out the proper way to hold her hand. She did not say anything lest her voice scare him away, and she allowed the child to figure out, on his own, just how he wanted to embrace them. In the end, whether he was still cautious, or unsure how he felt with this skin contact, he eventually settled with wrapping his small fingers around Sakura's index and middle finger. As soon as he was certain with how he was holding onto Sakura, he looked back up at her curiously, waiting to see if she would correct him with how he grasped at her.

Sakura only smiled at him, delighted he had finally taken her up on her offer. Again, it proved all the more to her the progress she made with the little boy. He was trusting of her, and that trust only grew by the days. It made her wonder when she could have him trust others. Only if they were willing to understand the little boy though, and while it seemed like none of them existed in this village, Sakura remembered all that had happened between Gaara and Annaisha today. Certainly Sakura could find others like her.

"Finally," Sakura teased. "I thought you were never going to hold my hand. I'm really happy now!"

She smiled at the boy, but his blank stare and quiet voice did not return her enthusiasm. However, he did hold onto her. Sakura watched him glance back up towards the moon, enveloping himself at the sight for quite some time. When seconds turned to minutes, Sakura grew apprehensive again over what seemed like an innocent act.

"Let's go," she told him, tugging him lightly along.

He gave one more hard stare towards the pale sphere before his eyes fell back out in front of him and he followed Sakura step by step.

Hand in hand.

They each were quiet, taking in their surroundings instead. The roads were empty, they seemed to always be once the sun settled. There was a reason for this, they both knew. Yet, for one of them, just having the other next to him was more than enough to make him feel content. He held onto her tighter, basking at the feel of involuntary human contact. Relishing in the thought, that maybe, just maybe, her friendship was genuine. Tonight, he would follow her.

"Kakigori?" Gaara eventually asked, turning up to look at Sakura as they continued their walk.

He watched as the rosette hummed in thought before eying him with a raised eyebrow.

"Cookies weren't enough?" she asked.

He made no reply, and Sakura couldn't help but chuckle at the innocence he showed off now. Of course to a child nothing was ever enough.

"Not tonight," she answered through her small laughs.

Gaara didn't argue and turned back to glance at the moon as he followed in step with Sakura still. It was a quick glance, but a bundle of questions came to him then.

"The sky," he began to mumble.

"Hm?" Sakura said, tilting her head back towards him, straining her ears to hear him better.

What she saw when she looked down was the boy staring behind him towards the sky, his steps were beginning to slow down. Eventually his feet came to an abrupt stop, and he was engrossed solely on the moon above them. For Sakura, there was a small unease beginning to grow inside of her.

"The sky..." he repeated.

"Gaara," Sakura called to him softly.

She stared at him for moments longer, trying to decide where the boy's mind currently was. He looked so transfixed at the glowing orb, that it made her once again question what this night had in store for them. Surely he wouldn't act out and would behave. Surely the moon contributed nothing to his nature, and judgment. She pulled his hand with hers.

"Let's go," she said, glancing down at the boy as he turned towards her direction.

His eyes didn't meet with hers, and it was if he took a moment to recollect himself before matching along with Sakura's march.

"The sky," he stated again, more clearly this time and with a voice that would make any know he had mastery of his mind, "it isn't smiling tonight."

Sakura had a moment of inner relief to Gaara's words. For two reasons of course, though the one that stuck out most was that he had always kept her playful words in mind. If she remembered correctly, he had called her, and the idea of the smiling sky, stupid the first time he had heard it. The little boy was letting his tough shell finally crack in front of her. She took a swift look at the moon to humor Gaara, before turning back down at him.

"You're right," she agreed.

Gaara's frown grew heavy then. The rosette hadn't realized this revelation troubled him.

"Why?" he asked. "Is it upset? Did I do something wrong?"

Sakura looked back down at him in surprise.

"Wha? No… No, it's nothing like that, Gaara. You haven't done anything wrong today. Quite the opposite actually."

Her answer did not suffice, and he glowered with the grip he had on Sakura's fingers tightening.

"The sky is just tired tonight. Can't you tell? It's yawning," Sakura murmured.

In truth, the full moon representing a yawn was thought up just then. She didn't want to upset the boy, but she realized his scowling features didn't find a yawning sky to be anywhere near as clever as a smiling one. So, she tried a different approach.

"Look," she called to him, and she showed off a toothy grin as he turned to her call. "If all you wanted was a smile, just look at me."

Success, she assumed, for his scowl softened and his eyes stared up at her in wonderment. She held her grin painfully long as Gaara studied it. She wondered why this was, for it certainly wasn't the first time he had seen her facial expression. It wasn't until Gaara barred his own pearly set, trying to mimic her smile, did she realize the reason behind Gaara's long stare. He was trying to copy her. For her, the technique was certainly lost to him, he looked more to be seething than grinning, and Sakura couldn't help but chortle again.

"You can't force a grin," Sakura coached him. "it's something that just happens when you're happy."

A curious gaze from the boy rose back to her.

"You're always smiling," he stated through his teeth.

Sakura shrugged.

"I've been happy lately."

Those words didn't sweep past Gaara like the rosette thought they would. There was a brief moment as his false smile fell, and he stared distantly out in front of him. She knew what was coming next from the boy, who treasured at the thought that maybe someone would cherish him in way others were. He was always seeking graspable clarification, he desperately had a need to feel that his existence meant something to someone else. Despite what he had promised himself, that he would solely rely on himself, that dark desire that his uncle had created had yet to be embedded into him; and Sakura coming so soon into his life shortly after his declaration certainly gave him hope that there was possibly another chance.

So, as she guessed, he eventually asked, but not without worry that she may still break his heart.

"Why..." he paused, swallowing hard. "Why are you happy?"

His gaze was in front of him, he dared not look at Sakura lest her eyes hold the detest he was accustom to seeing in others. For her, she smiled softly down at him.

"I get to spend time with you. You're my friend, so of course I'd be happy being with a friend."

He grinned then, without any thought of doing it. Unbeknownst to him, the facial expression lingered inside of him still. He just needed the right moment for his body, and mind, to remember. Sakura smiled softly to this before calling for his attention.

"Are you happy too?"

His face fell then. Her statement didn't anger him like it would have before. Never did he appreciate when the young woman could understand his silent questions, emotions, plights and concerns. He hated that the young woman claimed to understand him when there was no possible way she could. Above the rest, what made him angriest about her was that she labeled to be his friend the second she met him in the desert. For the child, it was mocking in his eyes that she call him friend when he had literally just ripped his sand claw into her face.

Yet now, now he was growing accustom to her. He was growing thankful that she understood his quiet dilemmas without him having to confess them. That she was willing to stand by his side despite the anger he showed her, and the warnings people gave her. He was slowly learning to appreciate her. She taught him new things, reassured him when he messed up that it would be alright next time, and answered his questions with careful thought. She gave him physical affection, a type of attention he never even fathomed he would ever receive. Most importantly, she showed him friendship.

He stared at their hands before turning to look up at her. He showed off his white teeth once again that even Sakura was surprised at seeing the bright smile for a second time tonight.

"I am happy right now," he claimed with a nod of his head.

Sakura matched his smile then, she hadn't expected the boy to reply to enthusiastically. Today was definitely a good day for him. Her only hope was that his feelings at the moment weren't just some fleeting behavior. She reassured herself that if that was the case then patience was key. If he could have a good day like today, nothing was stopping him from having another tomorrow, or the next day, or the next day until eventually these happy days would be a daily routine.

She eventually realized her train of thought had her standing there silently with her smile slowly falling. When she realized this, her eyes returned to Gaara, who currently was wrestling his tongue against his tooth. A curious sight.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

The boy didn't turn to her, simply stopping his ministrations for a minute before explaining to the girl.

"My teeth feel funny."

Sakura tilted her head in wonder, scanning through her mind for a medical explanation. Like a true medic, her thoughts landed on the possibility of infection, or some sort of gum disease. However, staring still at the little boy, those exaggerated diagnosis were pushed into the back of her mind. She had to remind herself this was a child she was handling now. Only when she pulled her hand away from Gaara's hold did the boy turn to her questioningly. Yet, before he could say anything, the young woman was on one knee in front of him.

"Can I see?"

The boy nodded, and while he and Sakura gave it no thought, the idea that Gaara trusted the younger woman spoke more as he opened his mouth and let Sakura draw near to his vulnerable state. The rosette was no dentist, but she had sneaking suspicion already what was happening.

"Which one?" Sakura asked, watching the boy point to his bottom center teeth.

As his hand dropped, Sakura raised a finger to the teeth he pointed out. She touched one lightly, jiggling it a little, and as soon as she felt the movement she only had a little less than a second to react and pull her hand back before Gaara's jaw came clamping down. He covered his mouth with his hands, eyes wide at Sakura as he tried to understand the sensation he just felt.

"Did that hurt? I'm sorry," Sakura apologized with a smile.

The boy stared at her briefly, still holding onto his mouth and staring at Sakura like she was an alien. His eyes shook slightly as he tried to decipher whether her apology was genuine, but with her warm smile and concerned eyes, it didn't take him much longer before he lowered his hands to speak.

"What was that?" he asked slowly, almost in awe.

"You have a loose tooth. It'll come out soon," Sakura explained, and smiled to reassure him lest he become scared at the thought. "You're getting your big boy teeth, how exciting."

To her statement Gaara pressed his tongue against his tooth once more. Eventually his eyes turned back up to Sakura, a wonder in his gaze.

"When you touched it..." he began, but stopped as his eyes swam below him, trying to find the right words. "It… It..."

"Hurt?" Sakura asked, trying to help the boy. "I'm sorry. It's probably not quite ready to come out yet. I must have wiggled it too hard."

His eyes were wide with her explanation, and he even seemed to pale. Sakura grew concerned.

"What's wrong?" she quickly asked. "Don't worry. It won't hurt coming out, I promise. Just keep pressing your tongue against it and it will get looser."

Despite her reassuring words, shock only grew on his face, and before Sakura could ask if he would be alright, or reassure him, he spoke.

"This is pain?" he whispered.

Sakura was at a lost to his question. The boy was more than aware of emotional pain, how did not comprehend physical suffering as well? As quick as that question came, an answer appeared in her mind.

' _His sand,_ ' it explained.

His absolute defense, his shield for the bad around him; It had been able to protect him thus far from physical harm. The thought was fascinating for Sakura, and she couldn't help but smile softly at the thought that even his sand couldn't save Gaara from the aches of his growing body. He couldn't protect himself from himself. His eyes were steady on hers, waiting for the answers she promised to have for him.

"Yes," she said with a small nod. "That is physical pain."

"It tingles."

"It is small."

"Small?"

"I'm sure you've seen worse pain before. The kind where people cry out."

Something flashed across his eyes then, and Sakura could only wonder in a second what it was, or meant. It looked dark, perhaps he was recollecting something traumatizing he had seen before. It only took another second, but she understood immediately thereafter why his gaze had fallen cold.

Of course the child had seen worse. He had _done_ that worse she spoke of onto others.

She viewed Gaara as a child, for he was one. She viewed children as innocent, because that was what she was like as a child, her peers too. In the back of her mind, Sakura had to remind herself that innocence was lost to the boy in front of her. Despite his age, despite his frank questions, despite his pure smiles, he was already a killer. He was just beginning to learn how the cries of others were sweet, sweet music to his ears before she came along to remind him that thought process was wrong.

Her gaze must have changed then, for his cold hard stare began to let up. Where once his look would have held her eyes with his for dominance, he now submitted to the rosette by looking down towards the ground. He frowned, troubled, no doubt he knew where Sakura's thoughts had gone. A part of her felt bad, yet another part of her was glad to see the boy could wear a solemn face in this situation. Maybe he had guilt, maybe he was afraid of her reprimand, but whatever it was, Sakura was glad to see that the boy could feel.

He hadn't numbed himself entirely yet.

"Ah," Sakura said while bringing her hands under the boy's chin, and lifting his face into her palms. "Where did your smile go?"

He still had a frown, and even if he allowed her touch, his face was still brooding. She stared at him long, thinking what she could do to get him back to his chipper mood. She mimicked his look, but slowly began to drag her nails back and forth under his chin. She smiled when his eyes widened in surprise, and he unconditionally began wrestling himself away from her grip and the sensation of her nails. She smiled when his smile returned, and even a soft giggle emitted from him before he turned back to look at her.

"You're ticklish," Sakura chuckled.

To her smile his remained, reassured that the girl in front him perceived him no differently tonight then how she had been for days. Always with a smile.

Always happy with him.

"Come here," Sakura said, raising her arms teasingly towards him. "I want to see if you're still ticklish."

More playful words, but it was appreciated by the boy as he instead took a step back away from her. Hands shielding his neck, he still couldn't help but smile and chuckle lightly to her playful antics.

"No," he replied sheepishly. "You might do that again."

"I might not," Sakura winked as she said. "Only way we will know for sure is if you come here to find out."

The young woman must have been much more entertaining today, for his smile only grew from her teasing and another chuckle emitted from him. With time, it made the rosette chortle as well. Eventually, she dropped her hands as soon as their small laughs subsided, and gestured for him as she stood.

"Let's go," she said, offering the boy her hand once more.

He nodded in agreement with a grunt of approval, reaching for her hand earnestly. Yet, just as he brushed her fingertips with his, he stopped short. Sakura watched curiously as his eyes suddenly widened, and he hitched his breath.

"Gaara?" Sakura asked, growing concern.

The boy made no reply to her call, and began to shake lightly, making Sakura turn to face him fully.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

He answered her, but it only raised more questions in her mind as he whispered.

"Mother's calling."

No sooner did he finish those words did he turn and sprint back towards his home, leaving behind a stunned Sakura, and ignoring her calls and pleas to stop. He ran with all his might, desperate to get to his destination, and Sakura gave chase, catching up to him in no time.

"Gaara!" she continued to cry through her breaths.

She begged him to stop, asked him to explain, cried for him to listen to her. But he did none of that, and only stopped when he had finally made his way to the back of giant home. He stared high up towards the top of the home, where his room was. Sakura stopped alongside with him, but when he refused to answer her still, that's when she made a reach for him, and what he did next shook her to the core. It had been such a good day, why did it suddenly have to change here, now, Sakura had to wonder.

"Do not touch me!" he hissed, swiping her arm away before it reached him.

' _Because he is Gaara,_ ' was the quickest answer her mind came up with.

He held her stare with his own for a moment, probably taking in what he had just done. Whether he felt remorse for it though, he did not show, and eventually his cold, hard gaze turned back up to the highest windows. She called for him one last time as he called the grains under him for aid. The sands swept him up high, up towards an open window that led him into his room, and Sakura gave chase once more up the wall.

She landed inside the bright room at the same moment she saw Gaara running towards the dark corner of his room, once there he immediately dropped to his knees. The rosette watched, taking small steps towards him, about to call once more, but stopped short when she saw him wrap his arms lovingly at the gourd in front of him. The boy began to whimper and mumble incoherently, and Sakura again reached for him, about to call for his attention, but froze herself when Baki's words came back to mind.

" _..._ _a_ _full moon._ "

She turned to stare at the white orb then, frowning and losing herself in thoughts of wonder while staring at it.

' _Are you to blame for this?_ ' she mentally asked it.

A small cackle from the boy was what made Sakura turn back to look at him, and while she before smiled at the boy's laughter, his soft echoes now sounded dark, and disturbing. She had heard this laughter from him before, many, many years ago when she was just a young girl. A made a shiver run up her spine at the remembrance of it all, even the way it felt to be pinned by his sand against the tree came to mind, that she made a small retreat then to her bed within the room. There would be no sleep for her tonight, though that decision was made long ago. No, instead she sat on the edge of the mattress, quiet, and concentrating solely on the boy, and his gourd, in the corner of the room. She thought hard what to do next, what course of action would be gentle enough for the boy and not to trigger something more sinister.

Gaara continued to latch onto his gourd, continued to mumble, but in the stillness of his room, Sakura was at least able to catch some words.

"Please, don't be upset with me," he murmured with a desirous hiss, "I promise I won't leave you behind again, _Mother_."


	17. Chapter 17

His engrossment became her opportunity. Sakura realized this about Gaara the more late into the night it became. Hours came and went, and the boy did not tear away from his gourd, only moving to shuffle his position but always facing the big container instead of her. This action was troubling in the beginning, and she grew even more concern when he did not heed to Sakura's calls or questions regarding what it was he was exactly doing. The blame on the moon was evident in her eyes, but as time passed, she felt there was no immediate danger.

If anything his captivation on his sand canister was nothing more than innocent. Bizarre, odd, maybe even a little eerie, but the boy did not cause any type of uproar like Baki claimed he would. So, Sakura allowed Gaara his time. Perhaps this was therapeutic for him. Maybe it eased his soul embracing his gourd from time to time, whispering to it as if it was a living being maybe gave the boy opportunity to open up. Though, the young woman did have to admit something did bother her in the back of her mind.

' _What did he mean by_ _M_ _other is calling?_ ' she kept asking herself.

She felt like she had gone back to the early days here, when Gaara had claimed that his mother did not like her. Had the word a different meaning in his mind, she wondered. Gaara, she learned, was a smart child. His brightness shined just in his basic understanding of things. So, for Sakura, she found the idea that his mother's death had not sunk in yet into the child's mind as baffling. Hell, Rasa had even mentioned that Gaara had been told about his mother's dieing feelings towards him. So, why was it he continued to claim to the rosette that he could hear his mother?

' _Something_ _psychological_ _,_ ' Sakura assumed at time.

His distraction led her around the room, picking up what small messes they had both made that she could. If the boy was distracted, and Sakura had no plans to sleep, she would take what opportunity she could take out of the moment without Gaara needing her watchful eye. She was glad to see he made no protest, or even acknowledged, when she shut and locked the windows back in place. Once her small chores were done, she sat herself in front of the table they often ate at in his room, contemplating what she should do next. She had three options, watch the boy with no distraction, continue on her small project she had been doing earlier in the kitchen, or read some of the books she had bought in the small store. At the thought of her last option, she berated herself.

' _Why would I do anything else?_ ' she asked herself.

It seemed it had been a long while since she took the time to consider the world around her. How very, very wrong it was that she was here in Suna, in the past, watching over a child who she clearly knew should be around the same age as her. A guilt ate at her then, why wasn't she prioritizing finding a way home? When did she allow Gaara's needs and care to distract her to the point where she hadn't looked for answers in days? What was even the point of her doing this? Gaara was a successful young man in the future. He didn't need any of her guidance. Who was also to say that anything that happened now would even matter? Whatever was happening to her now didn't necessarily mean it would carry on when she found her way back to her home, and time. There was still so many questions, so many possibilities. Was this just a waste, was she sacrificing finding a way home by sticking around with Gaara?

She tapped her fingers lightly on the table, deep in thought, and only looked up when she heard a small whimper escape from the boy. He didn't look to be distressed, just a small sound that had escaped him, and not long after his murmurs, and touches, to his gourd began once more. At the sight of just his back, and his red hair, another guilt ate at Sakura. Illusion or not, whether her guidance would help him or be lost when she found a way home, she realized she cared way too much now to just abandon him. There was no way she could run away in search for answers and leave the poor boy behind. Besides, who would be by his side if not her, she wondered. It was just too cruel of thought to think he had to wait so many more long years before someone accepted him.

More thoughts came to her then. She _would_ eventually have to leave the boy behind to go back to her own time, right? Her abandonment was inevitable. Would he understand if she explained to him, or would he feel scorned and think of her just as everyone else had treated him in his life; backs turned and running away as he stood and watched? Would his future self remember, would Gaara of her time acknowledge her, or would it be lost to this world? Would this world even still exist? At the thought of leaving the small boy, the outcome that would surely come from her departure, she hoped now her guidance would follow. Should she stay a bit longer, watch this Gaara grow until an age where she knew he would handle her goodbye well? Yet, if she did decide that route, how many years would that take? She had family, and friends, waiting for her back home.

"Dad. Mom..." she whispered, the thought of her family coming to mind.

She shut her eyes then, locking her hands together and placing her forehead against her fists. She braced herself then, feeling a warmth and strain welling up inside her mind and traveling down to her eyes. Try as she might, the images of her friends came next, and Sakura shook trying to hold back tears that threatened to fall.

"Naruto," she whispered her best friend's name. "Sasuke-kun."

She wondered if they worried for her, if they were searching for her with no rest. She wondered if Sasuke even cared, if he forsake his resolve just to come to the desert in search of her. She wondered if Kakashi had guilt now for sending her alone, or if Gaara was just as upset with her as Kakashi claimed he would be.

"Gaara..."

His name had come out louder than she meant it to, and no soon after the image of the little boy holding her hand came to her mind did she bite her lip to hold down a sorrowful noise. A few tears painted her cheeks now, but she held on hard to be as silent as possible. She realized then she let herself become to attached to the whole situation than she should have. She cared too much, and it would be her downfall the day she could have to say goodbye forever to the little boy who depended on her. Once upon a time, she couldn't let go of Sasuke in the past, and she felt like she was once again stuck in a similar situation. She didn't want to let go of Gaara, who she had learned to care so deeply for.

People praised her for her love, but it was a burden in her mind at times.

"Sakura."

The woman gasped lightly when she heard the call of her name. She had let her mind wander far, for the boy was able to sneak close to her without her noticing, and by the time she wiped her tears away to look down at him, he had embraced her, resting his head against her. She took a moment to glance down at him before looking back at the corner where his gourd was placed. The container was unmoved, still laying on the spot the boy had left it, and the rosette was surprised Gaara had come to her and forsake the object now. He had been so captivated on his own, she didn't expect the boy to come over and acknowledge her anytime soon. Maybe he had become hungry, or anxious. She cleared her throat, to mask away the pain before asking the boy.

"What's wrong?"

He was quiet for some time, still resting his hands and head against her before he turned to look at her.

"You're crying," he whispered.

His face was hard, held no emotion, eyes steady on hers, he did not back down from her long gaze this time. Yet, his voice had been soft and it made the girl wonder if had he been troubled by her tears.

"I'm alright," she answered back, forcing a smile onto her face.

The boy scowled lightly.

"I hate that look," he proclaimed, beginning to back slightly away from the girl with disgust.

To this, Sakura drew in a long breath, holding it while she closed her eyes before relaxing.

' _Clever boy,_ ' Sakura thought.

The child was not new to forced smiles, and fake happiness. In a way, it was ironic that Gaara knew very clearly when someone was putting up a facade with him while he still questioned Sakura what love was exactly. It made her think back at the time she had first met Sai, and how his phony grin irked her. She understood the redhead's distaste then.

"Sorry," Sakura commented, holding an arm out and inviting the boy back for an embrace. "You're right, I was crying."

He eyed her invitation to return with an inquiring gaze. He didn't draw back into her, just instead staring at her open arm before looking back up at her skeptically.

"Why are you crying?" he asked, tilting his head.

Her chest grew heavy then. She didn't have the heart to tell him yet, especially tonight, that she was upset because she was going to miss him. Her face must have morphed, because as she looked back up at Gaara he once again took a step away from her, face glaring.

"It's because of _me_."

 _Very_ clever boy, Sakura decided then. Yet, at his dark look, the rosette quickly realized he thought the blame entirely on his presence instead of what it truly was to her. It was the thought of his existence gone that made her sad, not because he was standing before her.

"Never," she quickly rebuttal.

"Liar," he mouthed, eyes widening dangerously.

"Was it not you who just stopped my tears?" she asked him, hoping his young mind would understand her underlying message. "I am not crying now."

He glowered again at her, both their eyes unbreakable from the other. He tried to make her crack under his stare, trying to get her to admit to him what he suspected. Meanwhile, she held her gaze to show him that she had nothing to hide, and that she was genuine when saying his presence no longer terrified her.

"You mean so much to me," she whispered, unsure if her voice even carried her words to him.

Her thoughts of losing him one day returned and, try as she might in front of the little boy, she had to be the one to turn her eyes away from him and shield her small tears from being seen. Again, in her mind, she chastised herself. She should be happy that she was giving the little boy some peace, she should be proud in knowing he would be alright on his own in the future. She should not have a fear of losing the little boy when he was such a prominent figure in her future.

As for the boy, he blinked once, twice, thrice to Sakura's words before watching her turn away with tears. Upon the sight of her his glare fell, and a familiar pain bolted through his chest. It was a forlorn ache he was able to abandon the night he killed his uncle. He had promised himself that he would never feel this heartache again, that he would learn to numb himself from the cruel world around him. If no one could feel anything for him, than he would do the same to them. Yet, her tears made him take a small step forward. Then another, and another, and for whatever reason, despite the pledge he made for himself, he reached for her again, acknowledging that he understood her tears all to well.

Her pain was suddenly his.

He places his hands against her leg before he slowly brought his head down to rest against her, soft words escaping him then.

"Don't cry."

To him, she listened. Feeling his support, the feel of his presence now, the ambition within her to show him that the world around him wasn't all entirely against him, she was able to sniff back her tears easily. She wiped her eyes before looking back down at him, a small, authentic smile finally coming to her at the sight and feel of him. Never would she have imagined upon first meeting this child that he would come to her on his own accord. Never would she have thought Gaara to learn sympathy so early on, and especially tonight did she not think him to console her. She immediately reached down for him, embracing him.

"Thank you," she breathed for him to hear.

They stayed like that for few long moments, until the weight of her became too much for Gaara, and he pulled back once again to meet with her eyes. In his gaze was still uncertainty, and Sakura knew right away he still worried where her tears had truly stem from.

"Why are you crying? Did you hurt yourself?"

She thought for a moment, absentmindedly running her hand and fingers through Gaara's hair and cupping the side of his face.

"I did," she finally admitted.

The boy stared into her gaze for a moment before running his eyes over her entire frame. Trying to pinpoint a cut or bruise he had seen people claim before to cause them physical distraught. When none became apparent to his eyes his gaze went back up to the rosette.

"Where?" He asked, with the tilt of his head.

Sakura tapped against her chest with a finger, morphing Gaara's face to mild surprise. Her plight was much more understandable now, he knew that pain, knew why her tears had come. Yet, it eventually made his eyes narrow with doubt still. She had heartache, yet blamed herself for it? Was that possible? Was she still holding back that it was him that made her tears come? His face must have revealed inner questions, for Sakura answered before he could even ask.

"I was thinking about my friends," she whispered, revealing some truth to her thoughts. "How I miss them."

It seemed with this revelation, the boy was beginning to lose interest in the situation. He rested his head against her once more, but pouted and kept his eyes distant at the thought of her words. Understandably so, Sakura assumed, for the boy didn't have someone he could happily fall back on and call friend.

"Did you kill them?"

Sakura's eyes widened to the morbid question, and she looked down at Gaara, wondering if his words were meant as a twisted joke. He didn't look up at her though, instead keeping his head planted against her still. It made the young woman wonder if her teachings had yet to reach him still about killings and murder, or if tonight was to blame for his grisly thoughts. She was flabbergasted at first to say the least.

"No," she commented, disturbed slightly. "I just haven't seen them for a while. I miss them."

His small hands gripped her a little more tighter then.

"You can go see them if you want," he said, before turning to look at her once more, "but you have to promise you'll come back."

Again, she wondered if his words and tone were somehow laced with a humor that had slipped past her ears. His eyes though said that he had said nothing with humor, and his hard stare bore into her harder. He was trying to convey the seriousness that she return to him, and despite his distant gaze and tone, Sakura found it oddly funny. In a sense, for her, it was more of his way of saying that she meant something to him. Something he didn't want to lose; a friend.

"Thank you," she chuckled lightly. "I can't go see them right now, but hopefully soon."

The boy nodded, suffice with her answer. His head went back to her leg then, eyes blinking ahead him once again.

"You have a lot of friends?" he asked, amusement lacing his words.

"I have a few friends," Sakura said, hand reaching again to stroke red locks. "Some of them closer than others."

"Close friends?"

"Sort of like, best friends. Have you ever heard of that before, best friends?"

The boy nodded against her leg. She was somewhat surprised the term wasn't foreign to him. Perhaps he had learned what it meant through media, or the conversations of others. His hands gripped at her hard again.

"Can I be like them?" Gaara asked, hands still tight with anticipation.

"Like what?" Sakura asked, "A close friend?"

Gaara nodded, picking his head back up. Yet, instead of looking at her, his eyes traveled to where his left hand currently gripped.

"You already are," Sakura commented, her eyes falling to where his was now.

Despite her words, they were lost to the boy as his concentration fell to Sakura's shorts. His hand had gripped there, and something within her pockets suddenly earned his attention more than the rosette herself. He slid his hand up, and Sakura watched in fascination as Gaara brought his palm up to press against her short pocket. The contents of that pocket were normally empty when Sakura placed herself inside Gaara's room, yet today had been different. Her eyes widened when she felt the pressure of Gaara's hand push the little vial in her pocket against her.

"Ah, don't push," she quickly said when she remembered what it was she was carrying.

He stopped and looked up at her expectantly.

"What is it?" he asked.

She turned her eyes from him then, feeling her heart slightly drop that his fascination fell to exactly what Baki foretold. As the man had said, Rasa knew best what was expected of his son tonight, and as Sakura turned to look back at Gaara, she saw a hunger in his eyes that had never come before. Did he understand exactly what it was she was carrying?

"It's nothing important," Sakura murmured, glancing around the room. "Would you like me to read to you, or we could play a game."

She was trying hard now to ward his attention onto something else, and though he didn't place his hand back onto her pocket, Sakura could see through the corner of her eye that Gaara's were still absorbed by that little tube. She reached down to him, lifting his head with her hands so that his eyes were back on her.

"Why don't you show me something cool with your sand?" she asked, trying still to draw his attention away.

He took her bait then, teal eyes swimming side to side at Sakura's request.

"My sand?" he eventually questioned.

Since the beginning, Gaara had found Sakura's interests and affections toward him to be misplaced. She was the young woman who called him friend before she had any clue as to who, or what, he was. She was a being who was asking him to show her his sand when others feared the very thought of it. Why was she like this?

What was first incessant revulsion on Gaara's part for Sakura, for _nobody_ dared to try to form some sort of bond with him except he who first had and deceived him and his emotions, soon turned into curious fascination. She pushed for the boy to let her understand him, and emphasized he could lean on her for guidance, and eventually both the fascination and skepticism he had of her was slowly morphing into the required acknowledgment he so desperately needed. He was smart enough to recognize now how he desired Sakura and her strong fondness, much like he had with his uncle at one time. That feeling made him both inspired, and antsy. He didn't want her to be like his uncle. He didn't want her to leave him like his uncle had, and he didn't want her to spill out that this whole situation had been an act on her part when he killed her.

Wait.

He questioned himself suddenly. Why did he think he was going to kill her? That wasn't right, was it? She hadn't tarnished anything to deserve that.

' _Yet,_ ' something else whispered into this mind.

His chest grew heavy then. Anxiety was slowly becoming enmity, and his eyes narrowed along with the growing hate. There was suddenly an annoying scratching inside his mind, a low growl echoing within his mentality walls as well. His scar began to ache, and something in his vision hued the world around him to red.

' _She is just like everyone else,_ ' his mind whispered with a gnarr.

Gaara's scar burned all the more.

' _She will betray you. She will hurt you. She will leave you._ '

Gaara tried to convince himself otherwise, something else inside of him was reminding him this sort of thinking was wrong. What was it Sakura had told him before? To listen to her instead of the monster inside of him? If this was true, why was her voice non-existent now? Did this just mean she did not care and that the monster inside of him was all the wiser?

' _Let me, and I will take care of her. Let me, and I will numb you again from the pain._ '

Gaara was shaking in his mind now, uncertain whether his tremblings carried outwardly. It sure felt like his arms were shuddering as he brought them up.

' _She will hate you._ '

"Gaara?"

The boy lost his breath then, and slowly widened eyes met soft, emerald ones. The red had vanished, the grating and dark voice was now gone from his mind, and anger was replaced with dread. He turned to look down at his hands, a cold sweat tracing his head when he saw his fingers laced together, forming a seal. At that sight, a gasp left him. He looked up at Sakura, expecting her to look down at him skeptically, but what he saw instead in her soft gaze was concern and naiveté. She had no idea what it was that going through his mind, or who it was that was just speaking to him. Another emotion he had tried to abandon resurfaced, and the feeling only made his anxiety suddenly grow.

He felt guilty.

"What happened?" she asked, a small smile forming. "Is it still a little too hard for you?"

His eyes fell from her then, frantically searching instead around the room in some sort of means of help for his anxiety. His heart only raced faster when he saw the closed doors and locked windows. He suddenly felt confined. He grew more anxious at the thought of being locked up, he worried he would forever remain in this room with the guilt never going away. His cold sweat suddenly turned hot, and he wondered why the temperature in the room suddenly sky-rocketed. Had Sakura done something to make the room more unbearable, he wondered. Why did she have to close the doors, lock the windows, and leave that annoying bright light on?

"Are you alright?" Sakura asked, finally taking notice of the boy's panic-stricken face.

Yet, he shook his head at the question before looking back up at her. He gulped hard before his shaking voice was heard.

"I want to go outside."

Sakura sighed.

"We _were_ outside, but then you decided to come back home. Remember?"

She carried her voice as she turned her head, watching Gaara make his way to one of the windows. It was late already, the air outside would be cold and irritating, and she didn't want to walk back out just for Gaara to decide once again that he needed to quickly return home.

"Wait until morning," she added, watching him still.

She narrowed her eyes as he stood staring at the closed window, the bright moon taunting him. Before she could call for him, he had reached for the window, unlocking and opening it back up. Sakura didn't think anything of the action, just Gaara being his usual self, but when the boy jumped up to the edge of the small window, beginning to climb out of it, Sakura stood.

"Wait!" she called, rushing over to him. "What are you doing?!"

He ignored her, trying to squeeze his way through. Now the rosette began to panic. He was desperate to go out, with or without her, and she had an inkling suspicion that anyone who crossed his path out there would meet ill-fate if they decided to rub the young boy the wrong way. She grabbed him then, pulling him back in and against her as he struggled.

"Stop it!" she cried when he turned and began to push against her with his smalls hands.

"Let me go," he hissed.

When he realized that older woman was not going to, and remembered what power she had over him, his pushing and shoving turned into hits.

"I need to go outside!" he cried desperately.

"No, you don't," Sakura replied. "I told you to wait until morning!"

Even then, if the child was as desperate when sun broke through to go out as he was now she would still probably refuse his request. She realized now his perseverance to go outside was mislaid. Never had he been this desperate to go outside like this before, that she did consider the full moon once again to blame.

' _Damn it,_ ' she thought, holding the boy back still as his small hands punched and slapped at her. ' _I wanted to believe. I wanted to prove them wrong..._ '

At the moment of losing herself in her mind, a small hit from Gaara landed against the side of her head. It hadn't hurt her, just shook her back into the reality, and she turned to look at him. His eyes didn't, wouldn't, meet with hers.

"Please," she tried a different approach. "Just stop. You need to listen to me."

"I need to go outside!" he rebuttal with a panicked cry.

Sakura could now see his frenzied face, she understood the anxiety that took control of the boy, but she still was unsure where it had come from, or what it could lead to.

"It's alright," she tried to coax him now. "It'll be alright. I'm here. I'll help you."

And she meant that. She would support him in any way she could, and would be by his side through this episode.

Still, the boy squirmed, pushed, and hit, whether he believed her words or not, his determination to get outside was stronger than her support. Instead of words, instead of his begging, a scream erupted from him. It was loud, and shrill, and it carried out throughout the home. No doubt did his cry stir everyone within the home awake, but instead of those coming to investigate the course, they remained hidden under their blankets while trying desperately to drown out the foreboding cry.

Sakura cringed at his loud, sharp cry. She expected him by now to tire, but his scream seemed to just go on, and on, did the young woman finally clasp her hand around his mouth.

"Gaara!" she whispered fiercely, his hot breath still crying out into her hand. "Control yourself!"

Then she felt _it_. It was snaking around her ankles at first, spreading all across the floor and towards her direction. She turned her head swiftly to the gourd in the corner, watching it dissolve more and more as piles of sand drew to the both of them. Sakura held onto Gaara with one arm as her other hand still held onto his mouth trying to stifle his screams. She narrowed her eyes while watching the sand trace up her body, trying to engulf.

"Gaara," she calmly called to the boy, narrowed eyes turning back to him. "I know what you're feeling now is scary, but it will pass. I'm right here for you."

Her voice seemed to fall on deaf ears as his cry only continued while his sand began to climb and engulf her more. She would not let go of the boy, she wanted to think her holding him brought him some sort of relief as his struggles did stop. Instead, she made slow movements shaking most of the sand off of her and back up to the bed. The grains followed her, moving just as slowly for her as she did backing away. Slowly, she stepped back onto the bed and off of the floor. She did her best to keep her movements small and minimal. She did not want to surprise or shock Gaara in any way.

"You can get through this," Sakura whispered to him.

The sand on the floor erupted then, a small wall of the grains began towering above her and Gaara. It did nothing at first, just looming over the two, but as Sakura focused her eyes more on it, trying to determine what next to do, she could see a small claw accumulating from the grains, slowly drawing and reaching toward the both of them. Sakura remained calm, yet the boy next to her still hollered against her palm with eyes shut tightly.

"Gaara," she called quietly to him again.

But the claw slowly drew closer, his screams grew louder, and Sakura grew more desperate with Baki's words coming to her mind once again. She remembered the small vial in her pocket.

" _..._ _for if he grows anxious._ "

" _The Ichibi is a terrible beast with a thirst for blood, and a need to kill, and Gaara's is it_ _s_ _only way out into the world._ _The smell, or even the feel, of that blood may help to calm him down some._ "

Sakura sneered at the sand claw in front of her. She had wanted so hard to believe that tonight would be a good one. He had such a good day today, why did that all have to change at night.

' _Damn you,_ ' she thought with an image of the Ichibi, Gaara's father, Gaara's mother, everyone who mistreated him, coming to mind as well.

She released Gaara's mouth, his screams erupting and shaking the house once more as she drove her hand into her pocket. She pulled out the small vial, and used her thumb to wriggle off the cork. There, a small, audible pop was heard as the top flew and landed a bit away onto the floor, but the second that noise hit Sakura's ears was no sooner did the boy's scream stop. She felt him practically beginning to climb over her, searching for the source of the noise. She readjusted her hold on him, carrying him steady as she glanced at his curious gaze. In the corner of her eye, she eyed the claw that had been reaching for them. The sandy talon was now gone, and even the wall of grains had fallen back to the floor, swimming contently around the bed she stood on.

' _Is it his emotions that make his sand act out like that?_ ' she wondered.

She felt Gaara once again squirming in her hold, trying to reach for the vial in her hand. Again, she readjusted her grip and brought the vial back and away from his greedy paws. That was when he looked back at her, eyes steady.

"Give me," he ordered.

The rosette swallowed hard. This was not the situation she had wanted to happen tonight. She would have never wanted _this_ for Gaara. She didn't want to believe Baki's words that a full moon altered him. She didn't want to think his thirst for blood was anything more than a fabricated rumor. She had wanted to believe Gaara was stronger minded than the monster inside of him.

She had wanted to believe.

"Please," he whispered, eyes again on her.

' _He will change,_ ' another part of her mind told her. ' _He will be a great leader someday._ '

She turned her eyes onto him then, her stare just as hard. To her look, his eyes widened and nose flared. Was he holding back? Was he growing anxious once again?

"Do you know what this is?" Sakura asked him, fingers gripping the bottle still.

He nodded slowly, once. Eyes never breaking. Of course he would know.

"I want it," he repeated. "Can I have it?"

His voice was soft and collect, but his eyes gave away the dark desire he had for the blood. He was desperate, Sakura realized then, as he was humoring her with soft spoken words, and polite manners. He would do anything in his power at that moment to retrieve that little vial, and she realized then she was probably one of the more fortunate ones now than others in the past. At least he held back his sand for her sake, where others would probably be dead by now just for that blood.

"Gaara, I am going to give this to you," Sakura spoke, slowly.

His eyes lit up to accession, but listened as she began her demands in return.

"But you have to promise me you won't leave this room tonight," she added. "You have to stay here until morning."

He nodded feverishly before she even finished.

"Yes," he agreed, once again leaning over her hold for the vial.

She pulled him back one last time, readjusting him in her hands. She gave him one more, hard, long glance before slowly bring the vial towards him. She could see his eyes shake, and body tremble with anticipation, but he did not nab the small tube of crimson until she had it placed in front of him.

"Here," she said. "Remember your promise."

Not a second later did the boy swipe and nab at the small tube. He struggled once more against Sakura, and the rosette finally let the boy fall to the floor. She watched him carefully make his way back to the corner of his room, the sand on the floor following closely behind him before rectifying itself back into Gaara's gourd. He sat down once again in front of the gourd, whispering to it once more and showing off the small vial as if the canister itself had eyes.

Sakura stepped back down with a sigh, unsure of herself. Had she done well, or had she done bad? She had wanted to believe in the little boy tonight, but his bloodthirsty appetite just seemed to be the fate Baki said would come. Still, she stopped him from going outside with the means given to her. That was what was expected of her, to keep Gaara away from others at his most dangerous, and she succeeded with that.

Then again, the night was young.

"What's wrong?" Gaara mumbled, his voice loud enough to catch Sakura's attention.

Yet, instead of on her, the boy was still facing his gourd.

"You don't like it?" he whispered.

Sakura stood still, watching with uncertainty at what was unfolding in front of her with Gaara and his gourd.

"I'm sorry, Mother," he muttered. "I'll bring you something better."

Sakura's eyes widened when the little boy poured the vial, and all of the blood, onto the palm of his hand. The red stained his skin, and seeped through his small fingers to form a thick, crimson puddle onto the floor. For the rosette, she was at a lost for words when she saw Gaara drag his bloody hand across his face.

"...Next time," he hissed with a dark grin.


	18. Chapter 18

Gaara had kept his promise to Sakura. No one could be sure if he did this because she had kept her word to him, or if her kindness thus far to the little boy was rewarded with obedience. Perhaps it was simply because the call to go outside wasn't as prominent with the passing hours. Regardless of the reason why, the boy sat in his corner, whispering, giggling, mumbling, and speaking to his gourd. It baffled the young woman as to why he did this and how he could possibly converse with the inanimate object for such a long time. Since it seemed not many before had paid the little boy any mind, it was possible Gaara sought some sort of communication; even if it was all in his mind. Maybe the idea of having a conversation with his belongings put Gaara more at ease than the idea of living the rest of his life with little to no communication. For Sakura's curious mind though, she had to wonder if this were truly the case since they both knew by now that Gaara could come speak with her at anytime. It bothered her somewhat that he would refer to his gourd as mother.

Yet, despite her thoughts, Sakura slowly returned to her books and scrolls as Gaara returned to his gourd. She spent the entire night reading, and searching for clues or ideas as to what was happening to her right now. Time manipulation had been something she never even heard of. The closest idea to such a thing was genjutsu, the illusion that she was stuck in the past. As possible as the idea had always been, the thought of it now made her stomach turn and tighten. She didn't want to come to the conclusion that Gaara in front of her, everyone who had been kind to her so far, was not real. She didn't want to believe this time...

' _You have to,_ ' she reminded herself. ' _it very well could be._ '

Still, who would it be that could be this powerful to put her under such a spell? If it really was genjutsu, what means could she do at this point to break it? Perhaps her search now would need to be broadened even more, seeing as the books and scrolls at hand offered her nothing valuable. At best she would find reports or stories of others like her experiencing the past. Most were claimed false, or their experience differed greatly from hers. It seemed if someone had fallen victim to some type of jutsu like this, they would ordeal a familiar life; where they grew up in, who they had growing up, experiences that had all happened before. Whereas for Sakura, she was re-living a new past.

She didn't know Gaara at a young age, or even been to Suna until her teen years. It just seemed to raise more questions as to why it was Gaara's young life she was sent to. Did someone do this to her for a reason? Was it fate, or just a big coincidence? It also made her rethink her position now. What was she doing just sitting here in a village she was barely familiar with? Why did she do as Rasa asked when she should just run back to Konoha where certainly her family and friends would help her? Was it truly her that held her own self back, or was someone else manipulating her mind into thinking she _had_ to stay? Was she being brainwashed?

Sakura groaned then, planting her face forward against the table.

' _No wonder some people go mad,_ ' she thought. ' _I_ _can't_ _let myself become one of them._ '

Despite her reassurance she kept her face down, the young woman was tired. Not so much physically, but emotionally this night had been a long one for her. Now that the morning sun was slowly creeping in, its light warming her neck, the rosette welcomed that bright, burning orb. Even if she would complain later of its heat, she would prefer it now than the giant moon.

"Are you awake?"

Sakura quickly turned her head to the side of her, eyes falling to the little boy standing next to her. Despite what had happened only hours ago, regardless of the hungry monster Baki claimed would come out at night, and although Gaara sought only the lonely company of his gourd than anyone else, the boy had a small smile on his face as soon as their eyes locked. For him, it was another hopeful day. Because of that knowledge, Sakura couldn't bring herself to crush the boy's happy mood. She would treat him no differently today than she did day's past.

' _He will be a great leader one day,_ ' she reminded herself. ' _He will be Naruto's friend._ '

She stuck her tongue out playfully at him before turning her head to face away from him.

'"No," she teasingly said. "I am not awake."

A small giggle escaped him before he ran to the other side of Sakura to catch her face.

"Liar!" he called out boastfully when he was met by her smiling face this time.

He laughed again as Sakura groaned and straightened herself back into her chair. She was still tired, but forced herself to try to least match Gaara's enthusiasm.

"What are you doing?" he asked, peeking above the table at Sakura's papers.

Sakura rubbed her eyes, only paying Gaara's questions with half a mind.

"Wondering if I'm existing somewhere with you right by my side still," she answered with the thought of Gaara from her time.

Only when she turned back to see Gaara's puzzled stare did she realize what unclear words she had just told this little boy.

"Ah," she mused for a moment. "Nothing. Just reading some boring stories."

He glanced at Sakura skeptically before eyeing the papers once again. Fortunately for her he believed her, for she hadn't lied to him before, and he looked back up at her with a soft smile returning.

"I'm happy," he claimed with a growing grin.

Sakura nodded at him.

"I can see that," she chuckled. "You're nothing but smiles this morning."

His eyes fell to the side of him then, his smile still strong but a distant gaze clouding his eyes. He was deep in thought, and eventually his unusual smile fell with time. It made Sakura watch him curiously, since she had never seen the little boy lose himself in his mind like this before.

"What are you thinking?" she eventually asked.

Definitely deep in thought, for his eyes cleared and widened to her voice, and his head whipped fast to her. He opened his mouth before shutting it, uncertain how Sakura would perceive his thoughts. He was usually a quiet child, making sure to keep his own thoughts in check and to himself. Typically when he shared something before, it was met with hostility or disgust, and it didn't take him long to learn that his thoughts were much more different than everyone else; much more darker. Yet, giving it another thought, Gaara was certain Sakura would not sneer at him if he shared what was on his mind. She hadn't so far anyway, and besides the thoughts now were innocent enough.

"My uncle," he eventually mumbled, turning his eyes and head away again.

Sakura was surprised at Gaara's openness. Did this mean he trusted her fully now, or was she just someone he could easily turn to in troubled times? She was sure the little boy could easily see what a huge turn their relationship had taken, and probably wondered just as much as her at what point had that happened. It seemed both long ago, and yet not so long, that she was sitting by his side in the bathroom trying to convince him just to drink a glass of water, and sharing with him her name. Of course, this wasn't the first he had mentioned of his uncle, but surprisingly his tone was a lot more open than it had been in the past. Sakura decided then to act on the temptation that was now building within her to the boy's distant stare and contemplating tone.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

Gaara's eyes widened again for a brief moment, and they stayed round as he slowly turned his gaze back at Sakura. He was surprised, not because this was the first time the young woman asked him such a thing, but because this was the first time an opportunity presented itself. It confused him to say the least, especially when a part of him did indeed consider sharing his uncle with Sakura. It made him wonder how she would perceive the man. Would it change her thoughts on him knowing he had killed Yashamaru? Would she sympathize with him in any way? No one ever did before. Would she agree with him that she was just like his uncle? He knew he wouldn't handle well the idea of Sakura sealing the thought in his mind that she and Yashamaru were just alike. Especially when, even without him saying a word, it was so evident to Gaara how much the two resembled the other.

It was a frightening thought.

"Why?" he asked Sakura curiously, still analyzing her offer.

Sakura shrugged.

"Sometimes people like to talk about what it is that's bothering them. Makes them feel better," she offered.

All too quickly the boy's eyes narrowed towards Sakura. She had used the wrong words, and abstractedly revealed once more to the boy that she understood his silent dilemmas. It bothered him that she figured, on her own, that thoughts of his uncle bothered him. He did not want to accept that she had knowledge over him over things he had yet revealed to her. That thought to him was dangerous. Sakura was dangerous.

Just like his uncle had secretly been.

To his angry stare, Sakura offered back an atoning nod fast.

"I'm sorry," she whispered. "I didn't mean to upset you. I just thought it would make you feel better."

His eyes softened a bit to her apology, because despite Gaara labeling Sakura as someone both dangerous and frightening, her kindness and caring nature was something he desired much more than the small fear and doubt he had of her.

"If you ever want to talk, about anything bothering you, I'll listen," Sakura offered.

He looked back to her emerald gaze, easily spotting the sincerity in them before he turned his own eyes away from her stare. Her words and look had invoke another emotion in him, guilt. It rarely ever came, but it still morphed the boy's face to sad eyes and a frown. He was silent again, staring at hard floor while thoughts flooded his mind.

He didn't deserve that now, Sakura decided.

"Hey," she called to him. "Where did your smile go?"

By the time Gaara turned to look back at her, Sakura was already reaching for him and picking him up. He let her, and curiously watched her as she began tilting his head back and forth within her grasp.

"Hmm..." she thoughtfully hummed. "I still don't see it."

That's when she gave him a playful smirk.

"Did you hide it in your pockets?"

She tilted him upside down, holding tightly onto his waist. She shook him lightly, earning a loud laugh from the boy.

"Where is it?" she continued to tease him, "It's not falling out of your pockets. Where did you hide your smile?"

"Here!" he cried through his laughs.

Still upside down in her hold, she brought Gaara forward so she could glance at his face. It made her smile seeing his laughing grin, and his eyes twinkled in amusement as their eyes locked.

"Where?" she asked him.

He quickly pointed to his grin, amused that she still held him upside down. Sakura grimaced as an act to his smile.

"Nope," she shook her head. "That looks more like a frown to me."

Before the boy could counter in any way, she shook him lightly again and he erupted with laughter.

"Let's go down find it," Sakura said with a small chuckle of her own. "Maybe it's in the kitchen."

Gaara expected Sakura to put him down then, but continued to laugh in delight as she carried him upside down still. She grabbed her small bag off the table as well before she marched through the hall and down the stairs with Gaara in arms. His loud laughs, and cries of delight, echoed throughout the home. An unfamiliar noise to those who had worked in the home for a long time, and a sound that did not mimic Gaara's cry from last night. Still, his sounds of joy did not urge anyone to draw near, and the two laughing figures only found the company of another once they were in the kitchen.

As if this room defined her, Annaisha had her back turned to the two, preparing meals without the slightest indication she was aware of Sakura and Gaara walking in. It was surprisingly Gaara who wriggled desperately out of Sakura's hold once he spotted the brunette.

"Stop," Sakura told him, "or I'll drop you."

The boy did not reply as Sakura lowered him to the ground, instead his sights and smile were on Annaisha, and he carried that grin all the way as he ran to her side. He looked up at her, eyes and smile still big from the small fun he had just had with Sakura, and he looked up to the woman in hopes of another new friend. Yet, when the young woman caught sight of him, she jumped hesitantly away from him and eyes of worry went from him to Sakura.

Sakura winced at the scenario, for surely that wasn't the result Gaara had wanted. Sure enough, a quick glance to Gaara, from Sakura, just cemented her thoughts. Annaisha's response made Gaara's smile drop to a frown, and his eyes held an icy perception. No doubt behind that animosity was also a grave ache in his heart at her reaction. It wasn't what he had expected, yet he should have. Who was he to think Annaisha was different? Why did he let himself have any hope that she could be just like Sakura?

To Sakura's hard stare Annaisha's eyes widened with understanding. She understood her mistake instantly, and her mouth dropped, glancing once more between Gaara's cold look and Sakura's dour frown.

"Gaara-sama," she cried. "Forgive me. You surprised me was all."

She bowed towards Gaara, whose narrowed eyes did not let up to her display. As if sensing this without looking at him, Annaisha glanced at the table in front of her as soon as she stood herself back up tall, and picked up a red fruit from the table.

"Here," she exclaimed, offering Gaara a small peach. "It's no cookie, but it certainly is sweet."

Sakura was the only surprised one to see Gaara's demeaning gaze let up and instead his eyes fell curiously to the peach in front of him. Usually it took the boy a lot more convincing that whatever it was before that upset him wasn't worth staying mad over. Even if Annaisha's response earlier had been one the redheaded boy was use to with others, one that made his mind frazzled and heart ache, his hand still reached out to grasp what the brunette was offering. It had to make Sakura wonder, did he do this in hopes a friendship could form? Despite her stepping away from him, did he dawdle on the idea she would accept him one day? Was he that desperate for companionship that he would allow pain in his life for a chance of recognition later on? Or was he beginning to understand sincerity and put trust back in other people's words? Annaisha had said Gaara merely surprised her. Despite the lies in his life, was Gaara willing to accept what she told him was different?

It made Sakura wonder many things. Was Gaara becoming more accepting, more open to what others told him, or was he just desperate? Were her own teachings influencing him in any way, or was this behavior something he grasped on his own?

"It's good, isn't it?"

Sakura was only torn from her thoughts when she heard Annaisha's bright voice. Sakura watched the two in front of her, noticing Gaara had taken a bite out of the fruit and was mimicking a smile up towards the brunette that she was giving him as well. He nodded towards her, answering her silently before taking another bite of the sweet fruit.

"I have a loose tooth," he explained to Annaisha through his bites.

"Do you? Can I see? How exciting," Annaisha beamed.

Sakura smiled at the two before settling herself down at the table.

' _Lucky for her,_ ' Sakura thought. ' _Gaara's more willing to become her friend than he was becoming mine._ '

By the time Sakura had settled herself into the chair, opening her bag up and pouring out a needle and fabric, Annaisha had Gaara standing on top of a chair and stirring a pot. Definitely one willing helper, but it warmed the rosette's heart to see Gaara smiling and conversing slightly with the brunette. Knowing he was in good hands, Sakura began once more fiddling with the needle, pulling out small beads this time from her bag and placing them on the blue. Time again went past her without a care or knowledge of how long. The conversation between Annaisha and Gaara was also lost to Sakura's concentration, and only when the brunette came over, placing a bowl under Sakura, did the two finally greet.

"How are you today, Sakura-sama?"

Despite Annaisha's smile, Sakura wore a frown. It was now that the rosette could see how dark the bags under Annaisha's eyes were. Her smile too, which was usually big, sunk some.

"I should be asking you that. You look like you didn't get a wink of sleep last night," Sakura murmured.

Annaisha shrugged, chuckling lightly.

"It was a full moon last night," Annaisha replied, turning her eyes towards Gaara. "The village doesn't sleep well with the moon out."

Turning back to Sakura, Annaisha's eyes were away from Sakura's emerald gaze, her smile now a heavy frown.

"Some parents scare the kids now with stories. To make sure they don't sneak out at night," Annaisha said before tilting her eyes up to recollect the story. "Under the glowing moon, fear is his only warning. Lock your doors, Child. His hunger is not far away."

Annaisha hummed for a moment, tapping her chin in thought.

"It goes something like that. I don't really recall, I've only heard it a handful of times."

Before the brunette had even finished Sakura hung her jaw in distaste. She narrowed her eyes at a growing anger inside of her. How dare they speak about Gaara like that, teaching young ones to judge him before even meeting him. She was disgusted by it, and a little at herself, for this scenario seemed familiar to her. She remembered being told stories about Naruto when she was just a child. She was blindly misled in believing that the young man, who was like a brother to her, was someone she had to avoid as a child.

The world was trying its best not to give these children even the slightest chance.

"I was thinking about my mother a lot last night too," the brunette whispered. "I lost her at the last full moon."

Sakura flinched hearing that, and looking back at up at the brunette her eyes narrowed in dubious thought.

' _Is she saying her mother was killed by..._ ' Sakura began to wonder, though couldn't bring herself to name to culprit.

Yet, if Sakura's thoughts were true, that would make Annaisha probably one the most warmhearted person she ever met. Here was a young woman who had lost someone so dear to her by the hands of the very same child who she now asked to help her with simple cooking tasks. It made the rosette swallow hard, for Annaisha had every reason to hate him, but instead was here now and willing to accept Gaara for who he was. She was undoubtedly one of the first to give the redheaded boy a chance without knowing what sort of outcome would become of him. Sakura knew Gaara would become a good person one day, Annaisha meanwhile was going out on a whim.

"When are you going to give it to him?"

Again, Sakura's thoughts vanished as Annaisha called for attention.

"Give it to him?" Sakura mouthed, repeating her words trying to understand.

Only when Annaisha nudged her chin towards the spot under Sakura did the rosette finally comprehend.

"Oh, this?" Sakura said, trying to keep her voice low.

She picked up her small work in her hands, examining it back and forth with a growing grimace.

"I don't know..." Sakura eventually answered. "It's my first time making one of these. I think I made it too small. Maybe I'll keep practicing with this one, and make another later."

Annaisha shrugged, offering Sakura a sympathetic smile.

"Small isn't a bad thing. It looks fine to me, but you should do whatever makes you happy. Practice does make perfect, the next one will be better."

Sakura sighed in defeat, staring down at the blue fabric next to her. Performing surgery on another was easier than creating this small, blue thing. The more she looked down at her creation, the more defeated she felt. Eventually she shoved everything back in the bag before standing back up.

"Can you keep an eye on him for a minute?" Sakura asked Annaisha with a smile. "I'm going to go toss this back into the room. The more I look at it, the more disappointed I feel."

There was hesitance in the brunette's eyes once again. An uncertainty Sakura could understand, but also knew was aimless. It seemed the brunette eventually understood this as well, and nodded in agreement.

"Sure," she said with a smile. "Don't be too long."

Her added words made Sakura frown. She had no reason to be afraid.

"It will be alright. He won't-"

"I know, I know," Annaisha cut Sakura off, waving her hand dismissively. "I don't say to be quick because _I'm_ afraid. I say it because he will ask for you. He will miss you if you make him wait."

Sakura sighed with a smile and eyes filled with confusion.

"What are you saying, Annaisha?" Sakura murmured. "You say the oddest things sometimes. I won't be long enough for him to miss me."

"As long as it isn't years," Annaisha joked before turning and making her way back to Gaara.

Meanwhile Sakura turned and walked out of the kitchen, shaking her head in confusion from the brunette's words. The younger woman was warm, even gave Sakura many words of encouragement, yet also spoke in the oddest of terms. Still, those thoughts of the other girl left Sakura as soon as she was back in the room, settling down the bag and making her way back towards the kitchen.

It was small murmurs that caught her attention. Voices she recognized coming out of a hallway she had never traveled down to, and even if she had told Annaisha she would only be a few minutes, she couldn't stop herself from searching for those voices.

She peeked her head around the corner, spotting the two older sand siblings. They were a mischievous duo. Temari especially, Sakura had learned, and the sight now would illuminate that idea to even the most blind, naive person. Sakura watched quietly as Temari was fiddling with the lock on the door while Kankuro watched on before he gave his input.

"It won't open. Let's go before someone comes," Kankuro whispered.

Temari ignored his comment, simply growing more agitated when the knob didn't move to her strength.

"Come on, Temari! We can just ask Father ourselves."

"Don't be stupid," Temari hissed, face growing red the harder she pulled on the door. "I've asked him already. He always says there's nothing in there, and that it doesn't exist. It does exist though, I remember it! Stop standing there and help me."

The two were quiet again, yet Temari continued to struggle with the door as Kankuro stood idly by and watched. She was desperate to get inside.

"Maybe he's right. I don't remember it..." Kankuro whispered.

Sakura's eyes went round as she watched Temari draw back from the door and, in a quick flash, slap Kankuro across of the face. The boy cried out, falling back onto his bottom as he cupped his stinging cheek. Temari hovered over him, teeth flashing and eyes glistening.

"Don't say that!" she cried. "Don't you dare ever say that! It does too exist!"

The young girl's eyes began to sparkle with tears she was trying to hold back, and her fists only tightened the harder she tried.

"It's true I don't remember how it goes, or how it sounded, but I do remember she would sing to us every night..." Temari seethed.

Temari stood frozen then, lost in her thoughts, while Kankuro sat under her still while watching and waiting on his sister. When Temari's tears broke through was when the young boy flinched and began reaching up to his sister.

"Don't cry Tem-!" he began to say, but stopped when Temari's resentful stare flashed towards him in an instant.

"Kankuro, you idiot!" she cried before launching herself at the boy.

Sakura's eyes widened as soon as she saw the little girl pin her brother down before her small fists began to light his face red. She was crying freely now, and was relentless striking Kankuro while the boy only brought up his hands up to protect himself.

"Take it back!" Temari began screaming at her brother. "Say you remember it! She sang it to us every night, it does exist! I'm not a liar! It does _exist_!"

The young girl's scream to those last words would give Gaara's own cry, from last night, a run for its money in Sakura's ears. Yet, it was also at that moment the young woman rushed over to pull Temari off of Kankuro. Sakura fell to her knees the second she picked up Temari and forced the young girl to face her while holding down her flailing arms.

"Stop!" Sakura ordered when she felt Temari trying to struggle against her.

Eventually, the blonde girl tightened her fists and held them still. Yet, she was still tense in Sakura's grasp and met the rosette's authoritative look with a cold, defiant glare. For a moment, Sakura felt as though she was staring into the angry eyes of Gaara. It certainly seemed that built-up rage wasn't lost in Gaara's siblings, and it made Sakura realize then that they, Temari at least, had some pent up anger just like her youngest brother.

"What is the matter with you?!" Sakura asked Temari.

The girl was impudent, and only remained quiet while staring at the same level with Sakura.

"Answer me!" Sakura demanded, shaking Temari lightly.

Temari's eyes fell then, and she scowled. No matter how important, or superior, Temari put herself at this young age, she still broke under Sakura's disapproving stare.

"He's an idiot..." Temari mumbled.

Sakura sighed before taking a glance back at the boy who was sitting up now and watching his sister and Sakura.

"Are you alright?" Sakura asked him.

Kankuro nodded slowly before staring at his sister's back, rubbing his cheek where she had struck him.

"Temari," he quietly called to her. "I'm sorry. Please don't be mad at me."

Sakura's eyes widened then. Never did it cross her mind that the boy was at fault in this situation, nor was she going to ask him to apologize, yet he did so on his own accord. It made Sakura question and wonder about this little boy. Out of all the siblings, Kankuro was surprisingly the only one Sakura could not see his older self in. Granted, she barely knew Kankuro in her own time, maybe he had a much more gentle side to him behind closed doors than Sakura was aware of. Even his speech, the way the boy talked, was much more polite than she knew it to be. Why was he so different now, Sakura wondered.

"Temari?" he called to her again.

Sakura looked back at the young girl. The rosette felt Temari's tense body now relax, yet she still held an angry gaze aimed towards the ground. The hallway was quiet for some time, and it seemed Temari was going to refuse her brother's apology.

"I don't care," she eventually answered. "You can say what you want, but I know it's in there."

Sakura glared at the girl, about to reprimand her and remind her that she was the one that needed to apologize. Yet, Sakura said nothing as she watched Kankuro pick himself up and sprint towards his sister. Sakura let go of Temari the second Kankuro embraced her in a tight hug from behind. The sight shocked Sakura again, and Temari only stood still while Kankuro hugged her tighter.

"I love you," he whispered into her back.

It was then Sakura realized the much deeper bond these two siblings had. They were somewhat dependent of each other, and for the young woman she knew the reason behind that perfectly, for it was the same for their youngest brother.

' _They're lonely,_ ' Sakura thought, watching Kankuro break off the hug and reach to hold his sister's hand.

Sakura's eyes narrowed. How could Rasa have let his children feel this way, she wondered. Temari's face was still away with a frown, but she locked hands with her brother who smiled at her.

"Whose watching you two today?" Sakura asked. "Aren't you two suppose to be with someone?"

"Sensei brought us down for breakfast, but went to talk to Father. He looked upset," Kankuro answered.

"Who? Baki-san?" Sakura asked, genuinely wondering what had happened.

Kankuro nodded.

"Do you know why?" Sakura asked, and Kankuro shook his head this time.

It was then Temari finally spoke up.

"Annaisha told him something. He got mad at her, and left."

Sakura pursed her lips, nodding.

' _Something must have happened between Baki and Annaisha. Maybe trouble in the relationship,_ ' Sakura thought while standing herself back up.

"You two should go wait for him then," Sakura said, eyeing the two of them.

At this point Kankuro had let go of his sister's hand, yet eyed Temari in concern. To Sakura's words, Temari finally glanced up and back to the door she had been trying to open.

"Sakura," Temari whispered.

The rosette's attention fell to the girl, but Temari's eyes were still on the door and she seemed be contemplating something hard. The blonde was quiet for a few moments before she whipped her head back to Sakura, her eyes now desperate and pleading.

"Please, Sakura. Can you help me?" Temari asked, a hint of urgency in her voice.

"Don't," Kankuro whispered, wrapping his fingers around Temari's sleeve. "We'll get in trouble."

Temari fell silent to her brother's warnings, and eyes fell once more to her feet as she sealed her lips. Sakura gave the two a sympathetic smile then.

"Don't be afraid of me," she told them. "I'm a friend, remember?"

Sakura placed a gentle hand on Temari's head, earning back her eyes. Sakura's smile only grew, trying to show them that she truly did hold these two children in high regards.

"I can help, but you have to promise me you'll stop hitting your brother," Sakura added.

"I-I promise!" Temari practically cried not a second later.

Her agreement came so quickly that Sakura imagined the girl would have given up pretty much anything asked at that moment just for the rosette's help. Sakura eyed Kankuro for a moment, whose worry was washed away now with curiosity. Before the young woman could even ask what it was Temari needed from her, the blonde pointed towards the door next to them.

"Can you help me get into Father's room?" Temari questioned before trying the knob herself once more.

"Your father's room?!" Sakura cried, glancing at the door.

 _Very_ mischievous children the rosette decided then. Sakura's face must have let up her doubt on the situation for Temari mimicked her.

"You said you would if I promised," Temari huffed, hands on hips.

"That was before I knew this was your Father's room… What is it you want to do in there?" Sakura asked.

It was Kankuro this time that answered for his sister.

"She says there's something of Mother's, but I don't remember-"

Kankuro stopped his voice, and smiled apologetically as Temari turned to him with warning groan.

"It's not something dangerous, is it? Your dad must have hid it for a reason," Sakura spoke, trying to reason with the girl.

Sakura was unsure now of this whole idea. Not that she feared Rasa, but the idea of helping the two children get their hands onto something valuable, or dangerous, made her feel uneasy. She wanted to help them, not hurt her friends, or get them in trouble.

"He took everything of Mother's," Temari explained, her voice desperate to convince Sakura. "It's not dangerous. Mother said it was for us."

Sounded innocent enough, hopefully. Yet Sakura stared at the door still pondering. If someone were to walk by and see them, or when someone finally took notice that the Kazekage's room had been broken into, it surely wasn't going to pan over well with Rasa one bit.

"Sakura, please..." Temari whispered, as if knowing her silent dilemma. "Father will never know. He rarely comes home."

Sakura sighed, defeated. It was becoming a lot more hard for her saying no to these children. She eyed Temari and Kankuro once more, both of them looking up at her, unsure what to expect. When Sakura reached for the knob, giving it one hard twist and hearing the lock break, both children looked up at her with grins so wide. Pushing the door slowly open, the rosette literally had to grab Temari as the young girl was now scrambling to get inside.

"Wait," Sakura whispered, trying to sense anything abnormal in the room, or if anything was there that would signal Rasa or someone else that they were in there.

Eventually Sakura realized this was just another room within the home, nothing special about it except the name. The room was kept and cool that it made the woman wonder when was the last time Rasa had been in here.

"Alright," Sakura said, letting Temari go. "Let's see if we can find it."

It wouldn't be until many minutes later that the three would realize the hardest part in all of this wasn't getting inside the room, but instead going through closets and drawers of papers.

"What does it look like?" Sakura asked, trying her best to help search for something that wasn't a document.

"Mother wrote it," was all Temari would offer. "It will have her handwriting."

"That doesn't help me much..." Sakura mumbled under her breath, but nonetheless looked for a paper that looked differently written than the others.

Time continued to pass, and as their search hit the hour mark, Sakura was about to call it. Hadn't Kankuro mentioned it might not even exist? Glancing at Temari, the young girl was as feverish still as when they had first started in searching.

"Sakura, look."

It was Kankuro who called for her attention, making the young woman stop for a moment to glance at the picture Kankuro was holding up. It was a blonde woman holding up a baby Kankuro who hugged her shoulder while a young Temari locked hands with her. Her smile was huge, and her belly swollen. It didn't take a genius to know who this woman was.

"Ah, your mother?" Sakura smiled, and watched Kankuro nod his head excitedly with a huge smile. "She's beautiful."

She watched as Kankuro pointed to himself and Temari, explaining that that was them. Yet, for Sakura, his voice was drowned out with the rosette's own questioning thoughts the longer she stared at the picture.

' _She looks so happy with her children,_ ' Sakura mused. ' _This is really the woman who would hate the village and curse it because of Gaara?_ '

Sakura continued to ponder while glancing back and forth between this woman's happy, bright smile and pregnant stomach.

' _Did she really have no love for Gaara?_ '

"I found it!"

It was Temari's exploded cry that interrupted her thoughts. She watched with wide eyes as Temari began hopping up and down while holding up a piece of paper, her laughs echoing.

"I found it! I found it! I found it!" she would exclaim through her laughter.

Kankuro was the first to Temari's side, trying to calm the young girl so that he could see the paper himself.

"Let me see," he kept requesting, though he soon got caught by Temari's infectious laugh, and chuckled happily alongside her.

Sakura too was caught in the moment, and scooted herself towards the two children, anxious to see what it was they had gone through this trouble for. Eventually she was able to calm the children down, and glanced over both of them to look at the paper. There were notes on it she barely recognized, along with words she couldn't quite make out as the paper trembled from Temari's enthusiasm.

"What is it?" Sakura asked, glancing between the two children.

Temari lifted her head back with teal-green meeting emerald, and a toothy grin that Sakura wasn't aware Temari had. Finally the young girl answered what Sakura had been asking since the start of the search.

"Mother's song."


	19. Chapter 19

"Mother's...song?"

Sakura had whispered that while glancing at the small paper again. She tried to make out the little symbols as well as the small scribbling of words, but before her narrowed eyes could even make out anything, Temari folded and tucked the paper hastily away. The rosette could not protest or request a glance as Temari turned to face with her giant grin.

"Thank you, Sakura!" she laughed.

Temari hoisted herself towards Sakura, wrapping her small arms around the woman's neck and nestling herself against her shoulder. Her hug was long, tight, and filled with so much emotion and gratitude that it made Sakura blush sheepishly. Just as quick as her hug came, Temari let go of Sakura and made a dash out of the room.

"Come on, Kankuro," she called for him. "Let's go read it together in my room!"

Just like that, the young girl disappeared out of the room. Her brother did not follow quite yet, instead lingering behind and watching Sakura. When emerald met brown, a soft smile found the little boy.

"Thank you," he whispered to Sakura.

Sakura returned his smile and gave him an acknowledging nod. In his hand was the picture he had shown her earlier still; Like the paper to Temari, perhaps the picture was meaningful to Kankuro, and it was another memento these two children would take from their father. When the brunette only continued to linger behind, Sakura decided to speak.

"Do you remember her?"

The boy immediately knew who it was Sakura spoke about, and a frown formed on his face as he stared at the picture in his hand.

"Not very much," he admitted. "I just remember her a little bit. Sometimes I can remember how she looked, and sometimes I forget. I know she was really nice. Sometimes I dream about her, singing to me."

"Singing?" Sakura asked with a tilt of her head. "What does she sing?"

Kankuro was silent for a few moments, blinking at the picture still with a head full of thought.

"I don't know," he mumbled, "but it does always sound the same."

Kankuro picked up his head then, eyes looking at the ceiling as he recollected the memories. After a few moments he began to hum softly. It was only three ascending notes, and eventually the boy stopped not long after he began. He blushed and averted his eyes away from Sakura's smile, embarrassed she had convinced him to reveal his dreams, and lull, so openly.

"It sounds pretty," Sakura commented, hoping to persuade the boy he needn't worry about her judgment.

He was quiet for some time, cheeks still pink and lips pouting lightly before he finally mumbled.

"...It was."

He looked back at the picture, staring once more at it with eyes giving away that his thoughts were deep before he asked.

"Is Gaara better yet? Can we play together?"

Sakura stared at him nonchalant, again unsure how to feel about Kankuro's questions about his brother. She imagined she should be happy he showed interest in Gaara, and that he was hopeful the two of them could become close. Yet, at the same time, it bothered her that he thought of Gaara being in the wrong. There was nothing wrong with the redheaded boy, the problem lay with how others treated him. A part of her wanted to introduce Kankuro to Gaara, for the brunette was willing, and another part of her worried Gaara's perception of Kankuro making such assumptions, or even Kankuro asking Gaara if he was better or what was wrong with him, would not pan over well with the angry child.

"Soon," was all Sakura could say, for she dared not diminish Kankuro's hope.

There was no reason to anyway, the brothers were close in her own time. Hopefully a time would come soon where she could sit Kankuro down and explain Gaara's situation, where he wasn't at fault for everything and that the Ichibi did not define his character. As of right now, Sakura did not wish to linger much longer inside Rasa's room.

She smiled softly at Kankuro's own, he was happy with Sakura's answer.

"I'm going back to Temari now," he said while making small steps towards the door.

Yet, he stopped short just outside the door, taking one more quick look at the picture before turning back towards Sakura and asking a surprising question.

"Does Gaara like you?"

Again, Sakura stared blankly at the boy, unsure what to say or where his thought pattern was at the moment. Was he just curious of his brother, or was there something more to it?

"I do not know," Sakura answered. "I hope he does. I like him."

Kankuro nodded as if he understood, but his eyes were skeptic.

"Are you his new mother?"

Sakura's eyes went round to Kankuro's inquiry. Never did she give _th_ _at_ idea any thought, nor have any desire to take up that role. Karura was Gaara's mother, not her, and she was certain that train of thought was the same for Gaara as it was for her. After all, the idea of a mother had been painted as something bad in Gaara's mind.

"No," Sakura said with a slow shake of her head. "I am not. I am his friend."

"Friend?"

Sakura nodded and Kankuro opened his mouth and nodded along with her, understanding. Another glance at the picture from him before he spoke again.

"You're so nice, Sakura."

Kankuro's eyes narrowed on the photo then.

"Mother was nice too..."

He brushed his thumb against the image of Karura.

"I think you could be our new Mother."

Sakura's eyes nearly bulged at Kankuro's idea. At first thought, an image of her and Rasa becoming a couple came to her mind with her adopting these three kids. She felt sick at the idea before her mind became much more clear and she sympathized with the frowning boy in front of her. He said these things not because he imagined her falling in love with his father, but because he was just like Gaara, unsure about his mother. His memories of Karura were limited, yet it made Kankuro curious as to what it be like to have a mother figure in his life. Gaara may, or may not, view her as a friend, but the brunette here thought of her as a mother. It all made Sakura's throat dry. The idea was complimenting, but it wasn't the impression she was wanting to leave on anyone here.

She wanted to remain the same as she was in her time, a close ally. A friend.

The two were quiet, lost in their own mindset. Sakura stared at the boy as he stared at the photo. Eventually he walked down the hallway and away without another word, and Sakura was left there dumbfounded.

' _These children barely know me,_ ' she told herself. ' _How could Kankuro think of me as being their_ _m_ _other?_ '

The thought made her heart ache as well. As little as they knew of her, a bond had formed. While it seemed small in her eyes, for Kankuro this bond seemed so much more larger and deeper. It made Sakura again see just how lonely and desperate for an adult figure these children were.

' _Rasa should have never left them to feel that way,_ ' Sakura thought, eyeing the room around her.

She tensed immediately at the scattered papers around her. An hours worth was damage by three was more than evident in this room, yet only one was left to pick up the mess.

' _Those brats,_ ' Sakura thought before quickly beginning to work and hoping she would leave nothing askew.

Even though she labeled the children that, it was Temari's grateful grin and Kankuro's soft smile that kept invading her thoughts. It left her cleaning with a bright smile of her own.

* * *

Sakura's eyes were on the ground as she paced herself. She promised to only be few moments, Annaisha begged her not to make it years, and she had to wonder if this time in between would suffice. Gaara was in good hands, she had absolutely no doubt about that, but the boy's patience and abrupt mood swings were something Annaisha was not accustom to. She had no worries she wouldn't find the pair alright, but Sakura still carried her feet fast.

Sakura's tread slowed as she approached the kitchen and spotted another figure making their way towards the same room. The robed figure was fast, yet something about the way he moved and how his white garb flowed was graceful, and Sakura watched transfixed until she caught sight of their dark, auburn hair.

"Rasa!" she gasped before sprinting towards him.

As innocent as her acts were today, most of them at least, she knew she had to approach this man and stop him from entering the kitchen. Not for her sake, or his, but for the child inside who feared his father. Just as she made a reach for him, he turned to her with a scowl, and eyes that seemed to darken and resemble Gaara's own. It took the young woman by such surprise that she froze and gasped while staring at those dark rings. In one instant blink though, by Sakura, the dark rims on Rasa's eyes vanished and his scowl had morphed instead to a disapproving frown.

"Sakura," he instantly said, even giving the woman the slightest of nod.

Sakura did not return greeting, if you could consider it one, and instead was quiet while watching Rasa curiously stare at her eyes.

"You're tired," he stated those words as a fact. "Last night?"

"Last night…?" Sakura repeated slowly, trying to understand the Kazekage's short words. "Last night..."

Her eyes went round when she realized what Rasa was asking. He was looking for answers to again feed the intrusive hunger in his mind. At least, that was what Sakura was convinced to think of him, and finally matched his hard frown.

"I am not hurt," Sakura answered, hoping it would be enough for Rasa to see that she could handle Gaara at his supposed worst.

"That's not what I'm asking," Rasa rounded on her, voice low.

"Everyone is accounted for today, are they not?"

"So, you're saying he didn't lash out at all last night?" Rasa asked with a rise of his eyebrow.

Sakura pursed her lips then. Lying about Gaara's nature last night would be a losing situation, yet she did not want to tarnish anymore of the young boy's name. Whatever significance was left of it anyway to anyone besides her…

"I am here now," Sakura rephrased.

To this, Rasa suddenly howled with a laugh. It made Sakura's eyes narrow all the more towards him. Nothing in this situation should be found humorous, not when a lonely, little boy's psyche was coming into question. Rasa's own son nonetheless.

"Stubborn girl," Rasa finished his laugh.

"Woman. Stubborn woman," Sakura corrected him.

The amusement on Rasa's face washed away then, and he stared at Sakura skeptically then. Sakura could see that Rasa had wanted to counter, or to say something more on the matter. Eventually though, he sighed, and his stoic features, the rosette was more familiar with, finally returned.

"Will you be needing another vial?" he asked.

Sakura blinked a few times in silence. The image of Gaara playing with that blood flashed across her mind, and the sight made her stomach twist in a knot. _That_ couldn't be the answer for Gaara. If anything, feeding the monster inside his mind was not the correct way to go about this. Gaara had to learn to control, and Sakura was more than willing to show him. She shook her head.

"No, it will be alright tonight."

Sakura looked back up at Rasa, and was surprised to see his look showed just a bit of concern. Did he worry for her sake?

"Are you sure? The moon will still be big," he spoke.

Sakura shook her head then. She was sure.

"Fetch him for me," Rasa suddenly said.

"Huh?" Sakura mumbled, confused.

Rasa, from what Sakura could see, had stayed away from Gaara like the plague. Now suddenly he asked that she bring him. It made Sakura wary, and her face narrowed once more.

"Why?" she asked.

That amusement returned on Rasa, and it made Sakura all the more on the defense for the sake of Gaara. The Kazekage in front of her smirked, suddenly enjoying getting a rise from Sakura.

"Do I need a reason to see my beloved son?"

Sakura clenched her fist then and struck for the man's face. It was a warning, Rasa knew as well, for his arm was enough to block her hand whereas the woman could easily break his bones to reach his face. His smirk left him then, and his eyes narrowed to match hers.

"Remember your place," he calmly told her. "Who I am."

"Don't you dare mock that child. _Your_ child!" Sakura spat back.

They challenged the other with angry eyes, and while Sakura still held her fist tight against Rasa's arm, she was surprised to see it would be eventually him who sighed and backed away from her. Even more surprising, he saw the error to his mistakes.

"You're right. That was uncalled for," he sternly spoke, back straightened. "Gaara is no laughing matter."

It was not enough for Sakura to forgive the man, but her tensed body did relax and she watched Rasa's face morph slightly before his eyes returned to hers.

"Bring him here, I will train him today."

Rasa had given her an answer, yet it didn't help to settle her heedful mind. He noticed her hesitation, and called her name to reassure.

"Sakura, he needs to learn control."

"He fears you though," Sakura murmured, a guilt building inside of her by handing over Gaara to him.

"I am his father. I decide for him," Rasa replied.

Sakura's eyes fixed back on the man with a scowl.

"Yes," she replied in distaste, "You were making his decisions long before he was born."

Sakura clenched her fist at Rasa's passive look.

"Look where that has gotten you," she continued.

"I'm not here to play games, Sakura. I don't have time to go back and forth with your adolescent mindset."

He struck another nerve then, and Sakura was drawing closer towards him once more.

"Don't you dare undermine me because of my age," Sakura hissed in warning.

Rasa made in exaggerated sigh then, rubbing his temple in the process.

"Lower your fist and listen. I will train him today. He has added stamina in him during this time of the month, when the moon becomes full. I am willing to drain that extra energy, and more, so that he will be much more amenable tonight," Rasa clearly said.

Sakura finally had her true reason, and she had to agree the idea was not one she could argue against. Yet, something about Rasa she did not trust. It didn't help that he treated his son as nothing more than an object, and it certainly didn't help that Gaara had a fear from him that Sakura did not quite understand.

"Take me to him, Sakura," Rasa said when she did not reply.

His impatience made her scowl at him once more before she ultimately led him into the kitchen. Before they entered, she could her him speak under his breath.

"He isn't suppose to be out of his room..."

She ignored the comment because no matter how many times he would reprimand her, and remind her that the child should barely be out and never around others, Sakura knew that type of isolation would only be worse on the poor child. Walking in, she was relieved to see that Gaara had created no problems for the brunette, and Annaisha was by his side still directing him how to properly clean a pan.

 _This_ was the kind of interactions Gaara needed in his life, and Sakura smirked triumphantly at the thought of Rasa walking in and seeing Annaisha and Gaara cooperating together. Yet, as the boy turned to face Sakura, a happy smile on his face looking up at her, it dropped in a flash as the man behind her made his appearance. Sakura's heart dropped when Gaara's smile turned into a heavy frown, and behind the fear in his eyes she could recognize another emotion that flashed across his gaze while looking up at her; betrayal.

"Kazekage-sama!" Annaisha murmured, surprised at the company.

She bowed her head low as Rasa drew near to her.

"Annaisha," he greeted.

"Would you like me to make you something to eat, Kazekage-sama?" Annaisha said.

At this point, with Annaisha and Rasa conversing, Gaara used his father's distraction as an opportunity and made a quick dash towards Sakura. He hugged the rosette's leg tightly before scrambling against her skin for her attention. By the time Sakura lowered her head towards him, she could see his anxiety building and panic swimming in his orbs. Before she could even ask, his shaky voice begged.

"Let's go back," he began repeating. "I want to go back. I _need_ to go back. Let's go to my room. Let's go to my room."

His voice slowed as Sakura pulled him into a small hug, trying to shush and calm him.

"It's alright," she told him. "Everything is going to be alright. I'm going to stay right here with you."

The boy was quiet, but buried himself in Sakura's hug, and the girl knew it wasn't endearment he was searching for but instead a sense of security. He stayed in Sakura's hold, even when his father came behind him and watched the two's interactions. He stared down at Sakura and Gaara in a shock that he couldn't quite hide. Clearly he wasn't expecting this sort of bond between the two, and it made Sakura want nothing more than to smirk triumphantly at him. Yet, this achievement would have to wait, for the child clung to her in fear, not adoration, and the guilt still ate at Sakura that she agreed on something on Gaara's behalf when the child clearly did not want anything to do with Rasa.

"Gaara," Rasa called.

Gaara quickly turned to the call of his name, facing his father with a dropped face, and he backed more into Sakura as a means of a shield against Rasa. The man was quiet while watching this, holding Gaara's gaze with his long stare for a few moments before turning slightly in the direction of the exit.

"Come," he ordered, gesturing with a nod of his head. "Today you train."

With that, Rasa broke the gaze and waltzed his way out of the kitchen and headed towards outside. He didn't even wait for Gaara to follow, but carried the idea along with him that the child would not disobey. With the mention of training, Sakura assumed Gaara's quiet demeanor meant he was relieved that was all his father asked of him, and that calm manner she understood him to almost always have had returned. Yet, as she nudged the boy to go along, he pulled himself away from her grip before his eyes looked up to plead with her.

"I want to stay here..." he mumbled under his breath, desperate.

Sakura's heart ached then, for the boy was clearly the most upset when it came to Rasa. Again, she felt guilty for agreeing on Gaara's behalf, but also tried to find reason behind Rasa's actions. Not only because the older man was right, that Gaara had to grasp control of his powers as well as tone them for the future, but because tiring him out this night may be more beneficial than Sakura's own means the night before. She certainly hoped to avoid a repeat of looming sand, a screaming child, and cleaning up blood off his face.

She knelt down to the floor once more, meeting at his level. As soon as he could see her reaching for him with a means to pull him into an embrace, he instead slowly walked into her open arms. More familiar with her movements now, and desperate for that sense of security, it was him this time reaching out to meet her, and she held him tight as he buried his head and placed his arms against her.

"I don't want to go with him," he repeated, voice muffled against her clothes.

She hushed him, swaying him lightly in her hold for a few minutes.

"I promise everything will be alright," she said, feeling his body tense. "I'll come with you. I'll be right there."

His body relaxed then. He had probably been worried Sakura would send him off on his own, yet he still didn't reply or pull away from their hug. Eventually she nudged his small head with her chin, making him look back up at her and her warm smile.

"Afterwards, maybe we can stop and get some kakigori."

She could see his eyes light up some, but he was still hesitant on the idea. If given a real choice, the boy would sacrifice the sweet in vain of not having to be with his father. Gaara was not so clueless on the situation like any other child would be. He understood that he had no real say in the matter. He was smart enough to see that the rosette holding him now was also doing her best to make better of the awful situation. She promised to stay by his side, and promised a treat in the end. With that in mind, he stepped slightly back from her, nodding at her in agreement.

Sakura chortled, placing a hand on his red locks and stroking him lightly.

"What?" she asked. "Was kakigori all I needed to say to convince you?"

Her words were playful, and she was happy to see his distraught poise had washed away and been replaced with a small, appreciative smile.

' _Just like Naruto,_ ' Sakura thought. ' _Promise him_ _r_ _amen and he will bend the world for you. Promise Gaara kakigori, and he may very well do the same._ '

Standing herself back up, Sakura stretched herself before offering Gaara her hand.

"Let's go," she said. "The sooner we get started the sooner we can finish it."

His eyes traveled to her hand. He looked hesitant once more about holding it, but eventually reached for her and laced his small fingers around her two bigger ones. She gave him one last smile as he drew himself closer to her before she looked back towards Annaisha.

"Thank you for..." Sakura stopped her words as she took sight of the blubbering girl.

Tears were pouring out of her as she fiddled with her fingers while staring at the two. It made Sakura feel awkward at how emotional and hysterical the girl was looking at them, and before the rosette could even ask, the younger woman answered.

"That was so precious to watch! You are so kind to Gaara-sama!"

Annaisha was able to place an embarrassing smile on Sakura, and the rosette wanted nothing more than to sneak away.

"Annaisha..." Sakura muttered. "It's nothing to get so worked up about."

Despite this, Annaisha blubbered some more before trying to snivel back her drops and wipe the remains off.

"I'm sorry!" she cried, still drying off her face. "That just really warmed my heart, you know? It reminded me of my mother!"

Eventually the brunette composed herself enough to stand her ground and look straight towards the two.

"Sakura-sama, you've been here for such a short while, but I can tell you really love that boy a lot!"

Sakura eyes widened briefly for a moment, for it was the first time hearing that word describe what sort of bond her and Gaara now shared. The boy too, seemed to be taken aback, for the grip he had on her fingers suddenly tightened.

' _Love,_ ' Sakura repeated in her mind.

Thinking of that word reminded her of the only man she felt that way in her life, Sasuke. It was new to her to hear it as a reference as a way she felt towards a child. Never did she think of herself incapable of loving a child, just that she didn't think love in that sense would come any sooner until having her own. Then again, she claimed love for her closest of friends.

"Gaara is my friend. This is how I treat all my friends," she stated to Annaisha, as if that was enough of a reply.

She turned then, Gaara still in hand, leading him out to his father.

"You two have fun! Thank you for your help, Gaara-sama! Bye!" Annaisha called.

Sakura was surprised that the boy actually looked back, halting their movements and gave a small wave towards the brunette.

"Bye," he whispered, his voice still quiet towards Annaisha.

It came as no surprise to either of them that Rasa had not waited on the two, but both Gaara and Sakura knew where their destination lay, and walked hand and hand through the hot village towards the training grounds. Even if the boy was quiet next to her, face stoic, Sakura could feel his grip on her hands tighten back and forth. He was nervous, for whatever reason, and so she spoke to ease his mind.

"Training is good," she reminded him. "The stronger you are, the more people you can protect."

Gaara looked up at her, considering her words for a moment.

"Why?" he eventually muttered.

"Why what?" Sakura asked back, crooking her neck.

"...Protect them?"

He repeated her words like she had spoke taboo, but Sakura couldn't stop herself from smiling and thinking of his future self. She found it irresistibly humorous at times that this child basically denied what his future self would be.

"You'll have friends you'll want to protect. There will be many important people in your life," Sakura commented.

She was able to see his face contort to confusion as she looked down at him. He looked up at her skeptically, unbelieving, and along with a wrinkle in his nose that was silently asking her, " _you do know who I am, right?_ "

"It's true," she said with a skip in her voice. "You'll see."

He shook his head then and faced it forward.

"They are afraid of me," he mumbled, as if that was enough for her to think otherwise.

"If you show them kindness, show them you care and that you _want_ to take care of them, they will change."

Sakura was still watching him, silent as his eyes fell to his steps. He was again deep in thought, doubting of her words yet also trying to humor that thought in his mind. He tried to pinpoint how he would truly feel guarding those who showed him no kindness thus far. Obviously the idea didn't settle well with him for his face morphed into an angry frown the more he thought about it.

"What would you do if Annaisha was in trouble?" Sakura asked, trying to change his perspective.

He blinked upon hearing Sakura's voice, his angry gaze melting away and turning back to look up at Sakura. Again he was quiet, considering the idea and how he truly would act on the situation. His passive gaze gave no indication to the rosette of what he was thinking, and eventually kept that same blank face while answering truthfully,

"I don't know."

"Eh?" Sakura drawled out, a bit humored at Gaara's blunt answer. "That isn't nice. Annaisha won't be happy to hear that when I tell her later."

Though her words had meant to be playful, Gaara turned his cold frown back to the ground below him. At first, Sakura assumed the joke to have gone over his head, but she soon realized he was once again deep in thought. He was quiet, and Sakura said nothing more as they continued down the dirt path.

"...tect you."

Sakura tilted her head, unsure if she had heard Gaara suddenly speak. Looking back down at him, his eyes were glued to hers, his expression indicating that he was waiting for her response. He had even stilled his movements, making the both of them stop in their tracks. She waited on him, as he waited on her, before realizing he really had spoken something to her.

"What did you say?" she asked.

His eyes narrowed then, not out of anger at her but instead from frustration at himself. His eyes darted back and forth to the sides as he chewed on his lip softly, trying to calm the rattling inside of him that threatened to keep him quiet. He sighed trying to remember all the good Sakura had done for him, how she treated him, what she taught him, the kindness she had shown.

The way she claimed him a friend in front of others.

Even if he was nervous saying it, still fighting the voice that told him that she was too good to be true, he drew in a breath and muttered once more.

"I'd protect you."

Sakura was wide eyed and stood frozen staring back down at the boy who watched intently for her reaction. She wasn't blind to see how much Gaara had open up to her, but was surprise to hear him proclaim such a thing, and to her nonetheless. She hadn't really given it much thought how much she was making an impact on the boy, and she stood there unmoved, even when a traveling breeze brushed her hair to tickle at her skin.

"Gaara," she eventually breathed, and even if her voice was quiet the boy had heard her, and shifted on his spot, anxious to hear her.

She grinned then, giving his hand a tight squeeze and nodding at him.

"I'd protect you too," she replied.

The boy's smile grew then, showing off his teeth. A small moment between them, and Sakura let it linger silently for a few more minutes before ushering him along to their destination.

"But you know," Sakura commented along the way, "I don't need you to protect me."

The boy tilted his head, peeking at her.

"Why not?" Gaara asked.

Sakura stuck her tongue out playfully at him.

"I'm stronger than you, and always will be."

It was joke, they both knew, and Sakura said it now for she knew this humor would be lost to the Gaara of her time. She imagined his older self calling foolish, and turning away coldly from her playful teasing. However, his child self rebuttal differently, it reminded her a little of Naruto when Sasuke took shots at his skills when they were young and training together.

"I'll get stronger!" Gaara cried, a little flustered that Sakura mocked his strength.

"I'll just get stronger while you're getting stronger," Sakura snickered before shaking her head at him. "You'll never catch up to me."

Gaara gripped her fingers tight, and even tossed their limbs together some in protest.

"I will too!" he proclaimed.

Sakura gave a hearty laugh, and it grew as she took in his angry pout.

"We'll see," Sakura managed to say through her snickers. "Once you're older, we'll see who the stronger one is."

Gaara smirked at her, giving her a quiet nod of agreement. They continued their walk, still conversing lightly. It would be happiest moment between the two that day, as night was once again unkind to the both of them.


	20. Chapter 20

She never would have imagined Gaara's training to be so rigorous, and so exhausting looking for the child. She never would have guessed Rasa would work Gaara through countless hours in the dry, desert heat. There had been many times she had wanted to step in, to tell Rasa that Gaara had done enough, but stopped herself in the midst of doing so when remembering why they were there.

For Gaara's control. To wear out his added stamina. To make sure this night of the new moon would be a calm one. Above all, for his future, the one Sakura had no business interfering with. Rasa had eventually told her they would stop when it became night, so she waited, watching exactly when the boy at a point drew in heavy breaths with an open mouth. Sweat now drenched his face, hair and shirt, and his eyes had grown finicky to all the movements around him. Even if Sakura took a few steps from her spot at the sideline, she could sense Gaara's eyes shift in her direction for a brief second. He had grown attentive, aware of his surrounding, though his main focus was sorely at the man who was his father.

Rasa certainly kept to his word, for this was the second most worn she had seen Gaara, yet a part of her was still skeptical at what was playing out in front of her. Wasn't he too young for this sort of training? Shouldn't he instead be learning from books like she was at his age? Did this truly help his control, or did it just make him so exhausted that his discipline would be lost from the fatigue? Sakura again tried not to linger so much on those thoughts, definitive that all this happening in front of her would lead to his bright future.

It was just training after all.

The sand swam high into the sky, morphing itself in precise positions and points. The grains never looked so beautiful than now to Sakura as the sun twinkled the ground they were on. The sand sparkled, it swam, it rumbled and shook the earth under her at times, digging up what debris lay deep under them and sending it flying through the air. Everything about now made her quiet and lose herself in her thoughts. Time had become slow for her, almost boringly so. Yet, she did her best to watch on, smiling reassuringly when the boy's eyes happen to fall back to her, though he did not return the feature back towards her. Not that she expected or wanted him to anyway. There were no smiles in a battle.

It wasn't until the sun began its routinely descend, painting the sky in a magnificent orange and red glow, did Sakura decide the time now would be right to fetch the treat she had promised Gaara. Hopefully by her return the training would be finished and she be right there on time with the sweet to congratulate Gaara with.

She turned, walking away from their battle with her back towards them. She was stopped however when a wall of sand erupted suddenly in front of her. She was taken aback before swiftly turning her head to question the culprit with her eyes. By the time she found his eyes, he was already racing towards her, a bridle glint in his heavy gaze, and a disapproving frown on him as he came close to her. Gaara used his sand to bring himself taller than her, looking back down at her with a competence she knew his older self to very much have.

"You cannot go," he told her plainly.

Sakura's eyes widened for a moment. His characteristic had suddenly changed. He spoke much like his older self, clear, without question; Someone with control. It was intriguing for the rosette to see his young self suddenly speak to her in a manner that was his way of telling her she was below him.

Behind him, Rasa had voiced his disapproval, calling back for his son. Yet, surprisingly to both him and Sakura, Gaara did not budge, did not falter at Rasa's voice, nor fear what reprimand may come. Sakura offered the boy a soft smile then, something that made Gaara's eye twitch, and she spoke to reassure him.

"I won't be gone long. I will be back so-," Sakura began but was cut off.

"No," Gaara said, slowly shaking his head as he spoke. "You cannot go. I won't allow it."

Power. Control. Everything that defined what Gaara strived for was now in front of her, though it was thoroughly misplaced. He needed to learn to lead, not control, a person. She narrowed her eyes towards the child as he looked down at her with a high nose.

"Gaara," she spoke slowly, warning in her tone, "You cannot tell me what I can and cannot do."

He stared at her hard after her words, silent for the longest time, perhaps waiting on her for something else to say, something more, before he opened his mouth to say his peace.

"Gaara!"

Rasa's voice echoed all the louder, tone far from a pleased one, yet it had been enough to morph Gaara's eyes back to the abysmal fear he naturally had for his father. Disheveled, frantic, that was what Sakura saw in the little boy before he hurriedly turned his back on Sakura and rushed back towards his father. Meanwhile, the young woman stood and watched as the training resumed with question again in her mind at the scenario that happened between them. Yet, she shook the idea off just as quick, remembering the child's mood swings, and abrupt anger. There was also the moon to put into blame for his sudden behavior, so Sakura thought nothing more of it. Simply turning once again in the direction of the kakigori stand.

She would never learn of the boy who took a quick glance at her departure, fighting in his mind against a beast that she _would_ return to him.

* * *

"He's not with you today?"

Sakura blinked a few times to that question, staring at the money in her hand. Something still so rare to hear, others regarding Gaara, that the rosette took a moment to herself just to make sure she had heard the man in front of her right. A sly smile found her when she realized his words were true, and she carried that smirk up towards the man.

"Why do you ask? Are you sad he's not with me today?" Sakura teasingly asked.

She tried to hold back a snicker when the man turned to her with a mortified, frazzled look.

"N-Not at all!" he stumbled with his words. "Just gotta know where that bratty kid is at all times, you know?"

The man turned his face back to the ice below him, his frown heavy. His next words were low, almost in a mumble. Almost like he would regret what would come next.

"It was a full moon yesterday after all."

Sakura paused her shuffling fingers for a moment, saddened to hear the man in front of her say such a thing. Like Annaisha, he was one of the few who seemed to be giving Gaara another chance to leave a better impression within their mind, yet his words now seemed to contradict that sort of thinking.

' _It's not too late,_ ' she reminded herself. ' _He, everyone, will see one day._ '

So she kept silent to his words, instead answering his question from before.

"He is with his father today, training."

The shopkeeper nodded before making another upsetting comment in Sakura's mind.

"Our great Kazekage-sama."

He said nothing more, but it gave Sakura an understanding that the man's views in front of her were no different than everyone else here. He praised a man who had destroyed a child's spirit, just like everyone else here. They remained quiet until the exchange of money for food happened.

"Sakura, is it?"

The young woman widened her eyes in surprise. As familiar as they had become of one another, she only realized now that between them they were only familiar with Gaara's name, not each others. The rosette nodded towards the man.

"Sakura, be sure to bring him along next time. I have a new flavor I want him to try."

Sakura smiled softly at the man long after that, holding on tightly to the small cup of the usual cherry syrup-drenched, ice. Her long stare made that man pout embarrassingly before turning away from her gaze.

"W-What is it?" he mumbled.

"You know he always picks the cherry flavored one," Sakura commented, smiling still. "He isn't interested in anything else."

The man turned his eyes back on her then.

"Don't argue, just bring him along next time!" The man replied before mumbling angrily under his breath.

Sakura snickered.

"Alright, alright. I got it. I'll bring Gaara next time."

Despite the agreement, Sakura lingered still, staring down at the sweet treat for some time.

"And you?" she suddenly asked.

She earned the man's eyes again, and he raised his brown gaze questioningly before Sakura rephrased her sentence.

"What is your name. I'm sorry I haven't taken the time to learn it."

"Ah," the man murmured. "Tsutomu."

"Tsutomu," Sakura repeated under her breath, rolling her eyes above her while trying to recollect ever hearing the name or meeting the man in her future.

When she could not find any recollection, her eyes fell back to him with a smile and nod.

"Tsutomu-san, thank you."

He waved her off without looking at her.

"You better go before that melts. I don't want you two coming back here tonight asking for another one."

Sakura rolled her eyes while shaking her head then, once again about to depart until she noticed Tsutomu beginning to place his stock, and supplies away. Even if the sun had set, there was still a sliver of light in the sky, and Sakura had learned the shopkeeper's hours early on.

"Why are you closing up so early?" she asked.

The man simply gave her a skeptical look, as if the answer should be as obvious to her as it was to him. Eventually, to that look, it clicked in Sakura's mind why Tsutomu was now on the move.

' _Gaara,_ ' Sakura's mind silently answered her. ' _The_ _full_ _moon_ _yesterday_ _. The threat of the Ichibi._ '

Sakura wanted to voice herself to reason with him that tonight wouldn't be any different from the others, and that Gaara was currently training to help himself better control. Yet, she couldn't find the right words to do so. Perhaps she was too tired from being up these past few days, perhaps somewhere in her mind she remembered Gaara's future would prove everyone otherwise, or maybe it was because she knew arguing right now would prove to this stubborn man nothing, but whatever reason she remained silent.

"I'll bring him tomorrow, to try your new flavor," was all Sakura said, before turning and walking down the empty sandy road.

Her pace was slow, her mind full, and a cold cup still in hands. Yet, when the street lights around her began to flicker on, and a cool breeze tossed grains against her ankle, her mind went sorely back to the boy who had begged her not to leave him with his father. Her steps turned into a light jog then, hastily making her way back to the training grounds with a smile on her face thinking how Gaara's eyes would light up to the treat in her hands.

And yet, she never made it there. As empty as the night made this place, a figure was slowly making their way in her direction. She, of course, paid the person no mind until she recognized the familiar white robe. She stopped then, watching him come slowly closer towards her.

"Rasa," she whispered.

Then where was Gaara, she questioned in her mind. Had he gone back home on his own, had he left his father's side to come searching for her? Yet, none of those questions mattered once she realized Rasa was carrying the small child in his hands. To that sight, Sakura's heart sank and body froze. _Never_ would Gaara allow himself to be this close to his Father.

"Gaara!" Sakura cried, dropping the cup of ice from her hands before sprinting towards Rasa.

Stopping in front of him Sakura paid no mind to Rasa, instead staring down at Gaara who was tucked in his arms. At first glance, it looked like a boy was simply overtaken by sleep with a caring father returning him home. Yet that scenario, Sakura knew, would never play between these two characters, and as Rasa began to unfold his arms a little more open, offering up the boy to the rosette, Sakura could see Gaara's eyes then battling to remain open. Rasa had kept his promise, to exhaust the boy of his added stamina, yet Sakura hadn't planned for it to be this way. Gaara was down right fatigue to the point of passing out.

Sakura hastily reached for the small boy, something Rasa was more than willing to hand over. She cradled Gaara against her shoulder before sneering at Rasa.

"What is the matter with you?! This is too much!" she spat with venom. "Have you no compassion?! He's just a little boy!"

But Rasa's eyes never were, nor fell, to her cries; they were instead on Gaara. He approached the boy in her arms, and Sakura watched as Rasa planted his hand on top of Gaara's red hair and stared longingly at his son. He stood like that for minutes before backing away and turning his eyes towards Sakura.

"Go home," Rasa ordered. "No matter what, stay inside."

The rosette's eyes narrowed at the man.

"I know that," she hissed. "Don't remind me what I need to do with him."

Another silent minute happened between the two while Rasa seemed to be studying her before he commented.

"I'm talking _only_ to you."

With that, he turned away from her, leaving behind a confused, and frustrated, Sakura.

"Monster," Sakura whispered under her breath, watching the man's figure disappear into the night.

Her small comment made the boy laying on her shoulder begin to shuffle, and Sakura turned her attention back sorely onto him.

"Don't worry, Gaara," she said soothingly, rubbing his back lightly. "I'll get you home soon."

She began jogging back down the sandy road, holding the boy in place. In her hands, she could feel how hot his skin was even through his clothing and stopped shortly after spotting a Chozubachi. She paid the reason behind the bowl no mind, she would ask forgiveness from this act later as she cupped the water in her hands and began rubbing the cool drops on the back of Gaara's neck. She felt Gaara tense to the cool touch then, shuffling once more against her hold, he only managed to turn his head to face her neck.

The cool water must have put some life back into him for his eyes were more attentive now. They scoured his surrounding before he pushed himself back to take a look at who it was who was holding him. When his eyes met Sakura's own, she gave him a smile.

"Hey," she mouthed. "Feeling better?"

He gave her another long stare, as if trying to recount who she was or making sure that it was actually Sakura, before he rested back against her. Sakura scooped more water, pouring it this time on top of Gaara's red hair and then patting the remaining drops onto his cheeks. The coldness on his face made him once again lift his head, and Sakura brought more water to his face to wash away the sweat and dirt that had caked on his skin. He moved to her touch, tilting his head to meet her hand a certain way which made Sakura curious. Why he did this made all the sense when he stilled his lips against her wet palm. She was unsure of his meaning, feeling him brush his lips against her hand. She wondered if he was trying to thank her with some sort of kiss, but when she felt him begin to suck lightly, she understood him completely.

"I think this sort of training is too much for you right now," she murmured before scooping water once again and offering the liquid to his lips.

He found his strength to hold up his head and slowly drink from her hand. After a few more scoops and drinks, Gaara was now holding himself upright, pushing against her shoulder and staring at her silently. Sakura offered him a smile.

"A little better?" she asked, and was happy to see him nod.

"Kakigori," he made a breathy wish, causing Sakura to tense.

"Ehhhh..." Sakura murmured, staring still into his gentle eyes. "We'll have to go tomorrow. The old man closed up early tonight."

The boy must have been too tired still to argue, or put up a fight, for he simply lowered his head back to rest against Sakura's shoulder. Something which made the young woman sigh. She regretted terribly now agreeing with Rasa. If this was the only means keeping Gaara in control around a full moon than Sakura vowed never to put Gaara through this again and to find other means.

She had found a bench next to the water and placed herself there before unwrapping her hands from Gaara so that he could sit next to her. Yet, despite her ushering, he held onto her. He was content sitting in her lap and resting against her. Something Sakura found both surprising, and understandable, given his desperate sought for physical embrace. So, she let him rest against her, even bringing a hand up to gently rub his back. He tensed to her movements at first, before sighing and relaxing to her touches.

They stayed silent, tranquility hitting them both while Sakura stared up at the lit sky of stars and the giant moon.

"I'm sorry, Gaara." Sakura apologized, still feeling guilty. "I didn't realize your training would be this hard. Tomorrow will be better. We can do whatever you want. Eat Kakigori..."

Sakura paused for a moment, trying to recollect the small list of things that brought some joy to the little boy.

"...We can hang out with Annaisha."

The boy didn't reply, and Sakura looked down at him to be sure he hadn't passed out on her. His eyes whipped to hers the instant she brought her head close to him, once again stoic to her soft smile.

"Don't fall asleep on me," she joked, trying to invoke something within the boy.

She hated to think it but she wondered if his quiet demeanor truly was fatigue, or if he was upset at her for taking him along to his father. He seemed to have accepted the fate earlier, but now stared blankly into her emerald gaze.

"I am not allowed," Gaara commented back.

If his quick glance was any giveaway, Sakura assumed that Gaara did not choose sleep even if the option was there. He was well aware of the outcome if he did, but the thought made Sakura think. If he held no attachments to anyone, declared love and fondness to be entirely gone from his soul, what had stopped Gaara before from simply unleashing his beast within?

His father still? That fear?

She gripped Gaara a little more closely then, the boy's deep dread for Rasa appearing all the more barefaced in the rosette's eyes. She couldn't blame the child now for feeling some sort of animosity towards her. She would feel betrayed as well.

And yet…

He relaxed in her lap. Did not ignore her voice, and inwardly still longed for Sakura's attention. Her friendship overcame the disloyalty she had shown him, enough to where he thought no less of her.

"Your brother wants to play with you," Sakura whispered, turning her head back up to stare at the sky and moon.

To her words, Gaara's body recoiled. He tensed so hard that Sakura, for the moment, stopped her ministrations. She simply assumed the boy growing excited hearing that one of his siblings wanted to be a part of his life.

"I was with Kankuro and Temari earlier," she continued. "We found a picture of your mother. Temari and Kankuro really loved her. Your brother told me she was very nice and liked to sing."

Sakura gave Gaara a moment to take this in, not surprised by his silence with the passing minutes.

"What do you want to do?" she finally asked him. "Do you want to play with your brother? I bet you sister could tell you nice stories about your mother."

Sakura's eyes widened when she felt Gaara suddenly tremble in her lap and arms and quickly brought her eyes to look back down at him.

"Gaara?" she asked, before a sharp gasp left her.

His eyes were narrowed ahead of him, he shook while biting his lip and flexing his fingers, but the worst of it, in Sakura's eyes, was the small dewy drops that were in the corners of his eyes. By the looks of it, he was struggling with his might to stop those foreign tears from falling.

"What's wrong?!" Sakura pleaded, trying to maneuver his head in her direction.

When her fingers graced his face however, he roughly cast her arm aside before pushing himself off of her and jumping to the ground below. The rosette made a reach for him, worried he was about to take off running into the night when he turned to her with grinding teeth and enraged eyes.

"Liar!" he screamed at her, causing her to freeze in her spot.

Before she could even ask, before she could even come to terms to what he called her, Gaara shouted at her again.

"I have no brother!" he bellowed. "I have no sister!"

Sakura could only stare at him with round eyes and a dropping jaw. This hadn't been the reaction she was trying to achieve with the boy, and she watched horrified as he began digging his nails into the scar on his head.

"Nobody wants to play with me! Nobody wants to speak to me! Nobody wants to be around me! Nobody wants to be my friend! Everyone just hates me!" he screamed, eyes shutting and head swinging towards the ground.

He no longer had a build-up of tears in his eyes, those had dried away as anger enveloped more and more.

"That is not true," Sakura tried to correct him.

His eyes opened then to her words, but he spat in her direction.

"You lie," he commented. "You just keep lying. Why would you say I have a brother who wants to play with me?"

Sakura opened her mouth to reassure him, to remind him that _she_ was his friend, but was cut off by his biggest holler yet.

"You're just a liar! You're just like _him_! You're just like Yashamaru!"

His cries stilled Sakura's voice, but as soon as she saw his scar begin to redden from his scratching, worried he would make himself bleed, she approached him. Yet, he back away from her movement.

"Mother is not nice!" he screamed in her direction. "Mother is...! Mother is-!"

Gaara stopped his shouting then, eyes widening. Even his ministrations to his head had ceased, and he stared wide-eyed at the nothing in front of him.

"Gaara?" Sakura questioned, approaching him slowly once more.

She was unsure what this frozen sudden nature meant. Had he just realized something? Lost himself deep in thought? Calmed his own unhinged nerves on his own? Sakura stopped her steps when she saw the boy turn his body around and stare high at the moon in the sky.

' _Oh no,_ ' Sakura thought as she watched the boy stare longingly at the giant orb, a repeat of what had happened yesterday night came to her mind.

"Mother is calling," Gaara finally whispered, before he began sprinting into the dark streets.

"Gaara!" Sakura called after him before following suit.

Yet, when she drew near, the boy paid her no mind, and only did Sakura reach out to him when she saw grains picking up around him as he tried to blind him from her. Her hand ghosted through the sand, and she knew she had lost the boy to the sand when the dust settled to reveal nothing left for her.

"No!" she cried, spinning herself around over and over, trying to catch the faintest of hints where Gaara had run off to.

Her mind scoured with questions. What now? Where should she go? Should she seek out Rasa for help?

"Rasa!" Sakura seethed with distaste.

It dawned on her then that Rasa's advice, and _help_ , had done nothing to fix the situation tonight. The boy's fatigue had only rattled his mind, and Rasa had left her with the aftereffect.

"Bastard," she cursed in a whisper.

Yet, her feet carried her once more down the road without a second thought of the man. Past the home Gaara and her resided in. To the kakigori stand. Throughout the village. She searched with her eyes from the highest of roofs, and followed every chakra signature she could feel in the streets, no matter how distant or foreign they felt to her.

In one instance she had had followed it up to the guarded entrance of Suna. Stopping in front of two men who seemed curious at her appearance just as much as she stared down at them, upset once more that her tracking had led her astray. She stopped in front of them momentarily, catching her breath while trying to decide where to look next.

Was it possible Gaara had left the village?

Her eyes widened to that mental thought, and she took another step towards the two men, attempting to make her leave.

"You are not allowed," one of the men answered to her with hostile behavior.

She stopped then, challenging the man with her eyes. If needed be, Sakura could knock back both these men in a flash.

"Where...Where is he?" the other guard suddenly asked, anxiety in his gaze.

They knew her. Knew who she was, who she was ordered to look over. The reason behind why they didn't not allow her a chance outside the village.

"I lost him," she answered plainly.

She no longer cared what panic may follow, nor if her words with taint these men's minds of the boy. If it was someone who could offer insight, any help at all, to where Gaara may be, she was willing to admit to them that the moon certainly made the child unstable. Yet to that thought, Sakura narrowed her eyes towards the ground, upset at herself.

' _If I had just said the right things to him..._ ' she thought. ' _If I had just chosen my words more carefully, maybe he wouldn't have ran off._ '

She blinked before returning her eyes to the guards, surprised by their silence. The anxious one looked more shaken to Sakura's information while the other grimaced in thought.

"Did he pass through here?" Sakura asked. "Have you seen him?"

They each shook their heads, before the more bravado one gave his input.

"But that doesn't mean he can't find other ways..."

"A night like this… I sure hope he is out of the village. We're still cleaning up the mess from last time," the other said.

Sakura sunk her shoulders before shaking off the whatever dread she had on her. She stared at men then, determined to past by them.

By any means necessary.

She drew in a heavy breath and flexed her fingers before forming a tight fist. She hurled herself towards the first man in a flash, about to collide her fist against him, when suddenly the ground beneath her shook. It was a low rumble, small, but it shook the entire village for a brief moment and took Sakura, and the men, off balance.

"Don't tell me..." one of the guards murmured under his breath.

Before the men could ask her what it was she was about to do, before Sakura herself could even collect herself, their attention was caught by a loud whistle erupting from the center of the village. By the time their eyes fell towards the direction of the sound, a whirlwind of sand was beginning to build up and accumulate in the area of that whistling noise.

"Gaara!" Sakura called out before making a dash in the direction of the building storm.

"Wait!" both men behind her called.

"Don't go after him, he's dangerous!" one called.

"Wait for the Kazekage!" the other cried.

Sakura ignored their heeds however. Gaara was indeed dangerous, but misunderstood, and she wasn't about to wait for Rasa to try to calm Gaara. If anything, the father would probably unravel more unstable emotions within the boy.

' _No,_ ' Sakura decided then to continue after Gaara. ' _What he needs now is a friend. He needs me!_ '

The direction of sand and wind mixed together never changed. He remained dead center in the village, rooted in his spot for whatever reason. Sakura wondered what this use of his power meant. Had Gaara grown unstable? Had the Ichibi been let out? Was this his way of calling for her? Sakura wasn't sure what to make of any of it, just simply knowing she had to get to Gaara somehow.

She held nothing back when she finally approached the whirlwind. Even if the winds had grown, and was a simply just a giant cloud of sand, the air current was light enough where she could venture within the storm with some ease. She realized then that this vortex wasn't meant as a means of attack, but instead a way to hide oneself. Gaara was masking himself.

"Gaara!" Sakura cried, wincing as the dancing grains entered her eyes.

Her voice was drowned out by the loud whistle of the wind. Despite that, Sakura continued to call his name. She could sense just the faintest of chakra, and continued blindly following in that direction. The longer she traveled, the more hard hitting the storm became. Soon enough, she was beginning to feel the effects of the wind and sand. It was becoming almost suffocating within, she was blinded completely, and even she could no longer hear her own calls of Gaara's name. She focused her senses completely on her means of surviving now while searching for Gaara. Yet, even that sense of chakra she felt before was now completely lost to her.

Still, she continued on. And continued on. And continued on. When suddenly the air around her became less thick. She opened her eyes a little wider when she felt a chakra signature, widening them when she could make out the silhouette of the little boy, hidden within the cloud of sand.

"Gaara!" she called out.

Yet, his attention, and Sakura's now, fell to another silhouette within the thick air.

They were not alone. A figure was approaching Gaara back and forth with such speed, that Sakura could see Gaara's defense faltering lightly against this person's attacks.

' _Who?_ ' Sakura asked herself, rage building inside of her. ' _Who was cold-hearted enough to go after a child_ _who had done nothing_ _?_ '

The child was smart. Even Gaara could sense that the person attacking him spelled trouble. The assailant was much too quick, almost sensing each time when Gaara would send his sand out to nab them and jumping back and away at just the right times. The little boy was able to comprehend too that his defense was staggering to their speedy attacks. Maybe Rasa's training had fatigued Gaara too much, or maybe it would be many more years before the little boy could fully understand how to approach this scenario and quick think his way to success. Whatever reason, he chose to run and hide instead of fighting back, Just as the attacker jumped back from him, Gaara too would cast his sand in front of him and back away more into the roaring storm to hide within.

He did that in front of Sakura, the calm leaving along with him before she was hit by the hard grains once more.

"Gaara, wait!" she managed to cry, but fell silent when she could see the shadow of the attacker turn to her call.

Yet, for the rosette, and unlike Gaara, she was more than willing to take this person head on. Storm, or no storm.

"Come here you bastard," Sakura muttered when she saw the person's shadow level their small swords out in front of them, taking a quick stance.

Again, the person showed off their speed by drawing near Sakura in a flash. Even if the rosette wasn't as quick, she was able to catch the assailant's wrist before they were able to plunge the sharp object into her. Next came the other sword, aimed for Sakura's side. Yet, the person faltered upon hearing Sakura's words.

"Don't you _dare_ try to lay a finger on my friend!"

The assailant had froze then, and Sakura was given an opportunity, one that she didn't even need, to send the attacker flying miles back with a hard punch. Sakura was quick on her feet, following suit where she had sent the person flying, and not surprised that she found herself running out of Gaara's whirlwind of sand and past many roofs to the other side of the village. Sakura followed what appeared to be small piles of rubble, caused by the person flying back.

' _It's a woman,_ ' Sakura began analyzing in her mind as she continued to run in the direction that person had landed. ' _Definitely broke some ribs there._ '

Though broken bones had ways of being fixed in an instant in this world, Sakura was well aware. Even more possible were those able to fight still despite the pain. That's why she sprinted fast, across the village, following still what little rubble she could see before coming to a small crater on top of a roof. It came as no surprise to the young woman that she was able to scout the assailant, but what did shock her lightly was that said assailant hadn't even gotten back up.

Sakura approached them carefully, taking into mind her surroundings and the possibility of a trap. Yet, staring down at the masked assailant, she could see the woman groaning in pain with her chest heaving up and down rapidly. The rosette's medical side of mind took over, and she knelt down quickly to analyze the situation. She took notice of the woman's Suna emblem forehead protector before opening her flak jacket and pressing her hands lightly against her chest.

Behind her, Sakura could still hear the whistles of Gaara's whirlwind, but her attention was solely on this fallen assailant. In the back of her mind, Sakura simply hoped Gaara's sand now had been caused by this woman's ambush and that he would calm himself as soon as he discovered that the threat was now gone.

"Your rib punctured your lung," Sakura muttered to the woman. "I'm going to heal you just enough to get you to the hospital for surgery. I would suggest you don't try anything in the mean time, otherwise I can assure you that you will die here."

The woman's brown eyes winced lightly to Sakura's words, opening wider as they stared up at the rosette's stern face. Sakura just shook her head.

"I'm sure the Kazekage won't be too thrilled seeing one of his own men going after his son," Sakura mumbled.

Though she spoke those words, somewhere distant in her mind she was being called a fool to the thought of Rasa, and was reminded of his limited concern for his son. Still, Sakura said nothing more as she brought her glowing, green hands down against the woman's chest. Yet, before long, the assailant under her finally spoke.

"Please, do not heal me… Sakura-sama."

Sakura gasped. Her hands stilled their movements, and she lost her healing chakra for the moment as her eyes grew round. She recognized that voice with ease. There was only one person here who addressed her here in such a high, respected way.


	21. Chapter 21

"A-Annaisha?" Sakura murmured, turning her head slowly to meet with the woman.

Sakura lost her breath as she locked eyes with the fallen, and now-smiling, cook. Annaisha had managed to pull down her mask as Sakura was distracted healing her. Both were silent for some time, the brunette allowing Sakura to absorb her before the silence broke with a loud cough from Annaisha. Sakura flinched when she saw blood trickle down the brunette's chin.

"Annaisha..." Sakura repeated, stunned completely. "Why? Why Gaara? You two were…"

Sakura fell silent as Annaisha's smile fell to a hard frown, and Sakura wasn't sure how to suddenly feel. Sad, angry, confused? Yet, she made the decision to bring her healing hands back down against the assailant while questions poured into Sakura's mind.

' _She was an elite,'_ Sakura thought. ' _She didn't say anything. I had left Gaara alone so many times with her before. Why now? Why tonight? Why Gaara? Why? Why? Why?!_ '

"He said you wouldn't be an issue. That your knowledge was simply medical. He said Gaara would be worn out tonight..."

Sakura's thoughts were interrupted by the brunette and she turned once more to look at Annaisha's pale face.

"Who?" Sakura asked. "Who told you all that? This was planned?!"

Sakura waited for an answer, but the brunette simply stared straight at the stars above, lost in her own thoughts as her mouth went back and forth opening and closing. It be a few moments longer before the girl regained some more consciousness and looked back at Sakura in a panic.

"Stop, Sakura-sama! Don't heal me!"

Sakura stilled her hands that moment. Taking into account the assailant's, now patient, wish. It was examples such as this that made Sakura falter once every so often. She had been taught by the best, told that a patient's consent always came first. If there was a wish by someone not to be treated, Sakura knew to keep her hands steady at her side.

But…

But still…

This was Annaisha.

Someone still so new to Sakura, yet the bubbly brunette was the first to welcome her with a smile. She offered help, offered guidance, gave Sakura words of encouragement and above that, Annaisha offered hope to a little boy who just wanted some friends in his life. If Sakura didn't heal this young woman now, she knew what the untimely outcome would be. Those thoughts alone made Sakura's eyes suddenly burn wet.

"You will die," Sakura muttered, hoping to convince her otherwise.

A small chuckle came from the girl as she continued to stare at the stars above her. Her breathing had began to grow rapid again since Sakura stopped her ministrations, and she spoke now with a wheeze.

"Exactly," Annaisha answered.

Now it was anger coming to Sakura. Why _should_ she allow Annaisha this? Why was she after Gaara suddenly? What was it she was talking about before? Was this a request from someone?

"Why?!" Sakura barked, a few tears leaking. "Why do you suddenly want to die?! Think about Baki! Think about your friends now!"

Sakura paused for a moment, hushing her voice some before finishing.

"...Think about Gaara. What you mean to him."

Annaisha said nothing while Sakura stared and waited for the brunette to speak. All Sakura could see was Annaisha's lip quiver before a tear trickled and painted the side of her face. At the sight, Sakura hung her head, upset at Annaisha's decision and the outcome of all of this.

"Why did you do this? Why were you attacking him?" Sakura mumbled. "I know he wants to be a better person. He's just a lonely boy looking for people to love him."

Still, nothing came from Annaisha.

"Wasn't it you who said I was doing a good job with him? Wasn't it you who told me it was a sad thought that Gaara would be all alone without me? Why did you say all those things when this was your intent? Why did you do this? Why him? Why now? Did someone make you?" Sakura's voice questioned, rising more with every word.

"..."

"Why Annaisha?!"

The brunette blinked rapidly, her voice barely a whisper as she answered.

"Because I miss my mother _so_ much."

Annaisha's voice shook while saying those words and finally her many tears, the ones she had held in so hard, spilled. It was Sakura's recollection that Annaisha had lost her mother not too long ago, that it had been the night of the last full moon. There were clues and pieces that led Sakura to believe who the culprit behind Annaisha's mother's death came from. Yet, this declaration now solidified her answer.

Gaara had been the one to kill her, probably through his rampage as the sand demon.

It was Sakura this time who fell silent as Annaisha continued to speak.

"Do you see now? Can you understand my pain, Sakura-sama? There will never be a world where I can accept Gaara as a friend. He took away my most precious person. He stole her from me an in instant."

Sakura froze as she took in Annaisha's words.

' _Does this mean all that happened before with Gaara had been an act?_ _Did s_ _he despise him while he was beside her?_ ' Sakura thought before hearing Annaisha's seething whisper.

"I hate him," she said through clenched teeth. "He took away everything from me. I will never forgive him. I just wish I had the chance to end his li-"

"Shut up!" Sakura suddenly cried, narrowing her eyes towards Annaisha.

The brunette obliged, swallowing her words and waiting to hear Sakura yell at her more. She expected to be hollered at, maybe to even feel the weight of Sakura's fist again to her malevolent words. What she did not expect was to feel Sakura's healing hands plant themselves more firmly against her chest.

"W-What are you doing?!" Annaisha asked, aghast that Sakura would still even consider offering any help after the way she spoke of Gaara. "I told you not to heal me! Just let me be with my mother now!"

Sakura's eyes were narrowed down at Annaisha's body, the healing process taking up most of her concentration. Still, she was able to speak with such resolve to the brunette.

"I will tell you what I told someone long ago, revenge will bring you no happiness. Gaara's death will not bring your mother back, therefore it will not bring you any peace. If death is the answer you believe in for seeing your mother again, then just wait it out. It's not like the time won't come, it comes for all of us. Think of what you have now, you won't get any of that back if you die now. You have a man who loves you, a place to call home. You have us! You have me, and Gaara as well."

Annaisha hissed.

"D-Did you not just hear me?! I hate Gaara!" the brunette cried. "I hate him for what he did to my mother! I hate him for all the destruction, chaos, and fear he brings to this village! I want that monster dead!"

If not for her hands preoccupied, Sakura would like nothing more than to slap some sense into Annaisha. The rosette took a few silent moments for regain her composure, for anger threatened her judgment, before she turned a soft smile towards Annaisha's growing eyes.

"People change," Sakura murmured before turning back to her chest. "I've seen friends turn to enemies."

Sakura winced at the thought, recollecting the time Sasuke had abandoned her, his friends, and village for Orochimaru.

"...and I've seen those who would put a knife in my back turn around and call me friend once more."

Again, it was Sasuke who came to her mind then as Sakura spoke.

She sighed at Annaisha's silence before mumbling under her breath for only her own ears to hear.

"I've watched a monster who tried to kill me grow into a fine leader. A man who, without his care or concern for his fellow men, would have not brought Naruto to me during the war, or brought him to his father…" Sakura's voice drifted to the thought of it all, it was then she was finally realizing how important Gaara's role truly was to her world.

If not for Gaara, surely Naruto would have died when the Kyuubi was extracted from him. No one would have been able to bring him to her in such speed. No one would have heard the request given by Kurama. If not for Gaara, and his love for his friend, the war would have been lost. If not for Gaara...

"...I wouldn't even be here right now," Sakura whispered.

The world would be lost if not for a man's decision to protect his only friend. A bit of guilt ate at Sakura then. Gaara's importance in the war had slipped past her mind, and she silently vowed then to thank him when she saw his older self once more. By choosing to fight for Naruto's life, Gaara had inadvertently saved the world by saving Naruto.

It was another harsh cough by Annaisha that erased Sakura's thoughts as she continued to heal.

"People can change," Sakura repeated. "And it's never too late to do so. To start doing good."

Sakura turned to the brunette then, hoping her words were sinking in for her. Whether they were or not, Annaisha showed no emotion as she continued to stare at the dark, starry sky.

"I watched you two together. I know he will always cherish those moments. If he's willing to change, to be a better person, I want to believe you can give him another chance. We can work past what happened tonight. Don't you agree?"

Sakura waited on Annaisha's answer, but again saw the girl staring blankly at the sky above. Within time though, her eyes slowly narrowed.

"Sakura-sama," she eventually spoke. "You are the most loving, and accepting, person I have ever met. How foolish people must see you as..."

Sakura was silent, flabbergasted that Annaisha's words were still harsh after her small spill.

"One of us is going tonight, and since you won't allow me to..." Annaisha continued, suddenly leaping on her feet and towards Sakura.

It was without doubt Annaisha's specialty was speed, for Sakura only had time to scramble back as the brunette brought her knife up and slashed at Sakura's face. She missed the rosette's face purposely, they both knew, but achieved in making Sakura fall back to her bottom.

"I'll send Gaara instead!" Annaisha whispered towards Sakura before turning and sprinting from roof to roof.

By the time Sakura was back up again on her feet, Annaisha was almost out of sight.

"Wait!" Sakura called, racing for her.

Perhaps Annaisha's speed had faltered from her injury for Sakura since the rosette caught up to her easily. They took a giant leap together, aiming for the next roof while Sakura began her approach towards her, flexing her fist to bring Annaisha back down. Yet it would be Sakura distracting her, or maybe by her own choice, that allowed a tidal wave of sand to suddenly nab the brunette girl from the dark streets below. Sakura watched as Annaisha was dragged back down to the ground, and quickly followed suit.

"Don't, Gaara!" Sakura cried.

Her eyes went round when she landed on the ground and saw Annaisha struggling against a sandy encasement. As Sakura began to approach Annaisha, with a means of helping her escape, Annaisha looked back up at her with a misplaced smile.

"Sakura-sama, the future you wish for won't be the happy one you think-"

The young woman was cut off as the sand enclosed itself in a flash, and Sakura watched horrified as Annaisha's body was flattened with it. Her body made a chilling crack as her bones were crushed, and blood immediately spewed from her facial orifices. As quick as the act had happened, the sand cast the lifeless body aside like a broken doll.

"No!" Sakura screamed, racing for Annaisha's body.

Though in her mind she was certain the girl had died instantly, knew the damage she sustained was too severe for her to fix alone _if_ Annaisha was still alive, Sakura raced towards the brunette with a means to revive her. She turned her body over, ignoring Annaisha's grotesque face, and limbless-like body. Sakura quickly checked for a breath, and pulse and, not surprisingly, found neither.

"Annaisha," Sakura murmured, beginning to perform compressions on her chest. "Please…Not yet."

Sakura could feel her tears beginning to form and escape her as she felt Annaisha's chest crack more under the pressure of her hands. So instead, she began to use her healing to fix the broken bones.

' _No,_ ' Sakura told herself as the situation became more hopeless. ' _I can fix this._ _I won't let her die._ '

Annaisha had been right to call her foolish, for the outcome Sakura was hoping for was already lost. Yet, the rosette told herself otherwise, to not give up. Especially for a friend. Especially for this bubbly girl who still had so much of a future in store for her. Especially because she knew people could change, knew Annaisha could change. Everyone made mistakes.

Sakura ignored the small footsteps, focusing entirely on Annaisha. She chose not to acknowledge the small chakra signature behind her. With time, she even ignored the small grains that began lacing up her body and wrapping around her arm. What she could not ignore, was when the small boy behind her used those grains to slowly pull Sakura's arm back and away from Annaisha and instead towards him.

Sakura faced Gaara with tears in her eyes still while the boy stared apathetically up at her. He was worn, she could tell. Still dirty, still sweaty, his eyes seemed to be even heavier now. Though his skin had no cuts from Annaisha's attempts at him, his shawl too was shredded and barely hanging from his shoulders. Staring down at him though, Sakura could hear the words of others suddenly in her mind. The way they defined him, was all too prominent on the act he had just done.

" _Everyone here fears Gaara._ "

" _He killed our mother. He kills whoever he wants. Father says he would kill us too. There's a monster inside his head._ "

" _He has morphed that fear into hate._ _Because he is dangerous."_

" _Do not run from him. Ever. If you run, he will chase you._ "

" _All he does is kill everyone!_ "

" _Maybe after speaking with Kazekage-sama, you'll see why our thoughts on Gaara are set the way they are._ "

" _What's that monster doing out?_ _We should go before it decides to attack._ "

It was a whisper Gaara had first told her when Sakura arrived here that drowned out those voices. Yet it was one that did nothing to diminish the dark case that was coming to her mind now looking at this little boy.

" _ _I've__ _killed a lot of people,_ " she could hear him saying again in her mind.

They continued to stare at one another in silence, and even Sakura couldn't draw back to the image of the good man he would one day be. Instead, she was staring down at a little boy who had lost his way, who had just murdered the woman he was standing next to with a smile earlier today. The rosette just couldn't, at the moment, find it in her heart to reach out to the little boy. She ignored his silent plea then that looked for guidance and reassurance that everything from this point forward would be alright. So, she did the very last thing he expected her to do, something that made his eyes widen with anxiety and panic.

She turned her back on him.

He watched, still in shock, as she raced back to the very same person who was trying to kill him. Watched her attempt to save a life who wanted only moments ago to end his very own. He silently watched as Sakura broke a promise to him. Instead of being there for him, she turned to another, not even looking back. The hurt was heavy like a stone, falling deeper into the dark pit of his gut, and that unbearable pain the boy felt in his heart was all the monster inside of him needed to begin stirring awake.

Gaara ordered his sand once more to move, quickly this time, it wrapped once more around Sakura's arm and attempted to pull her away from Annaisha and back to him. It was a mistake, he kept trying to tell himself. She wouldn't ignore him just like that. At a time like this, when he needed her most, she wouldn't choose to go to another. The sand tried pulling Sakura back, once again interrupting her attempts to resuscitate Annaisha.

But Sakura pulled back.

And again, Gaara was left standing confused and hurt when Sakura used her strength to pull her arm out from his gentle, sand hold. If he had any doubts then that her actions to go to Annaisha, instead of him, were just a mistake, he knew right then and there what Sakura's choice was. He glowered at her, his pain morphing into anger and frustration, and he ordered his grains to swim back to her once more. So, if it wasn't a mistake on her part, he would make her see her the error of her way. His sand was a little more rough this time nabbing her arm and he moved much more quickly now, dragging Sakura slightly back before she broke loose once again.

"Stop!" she told him, not even gracing him with a look as she rushed back to Annaisha. "Not now, Gaara!"

He glowered at her then, teeth grinding. He gave her words no thought or respect, and this time sent his sand speeding towards her. Instead of wrapping at her arms, his sand slithered quickly up her torso and cast her in a bind. He roughly used his grains to pull her away from Annaisha before drawing her towards him. She struggled against his hold, tearing and dropping herself from his sand. There was a sense of accomplishment in him when he was able to bring Sakura back close to him, yet when he saw her eyes filled with angry tears turn to him, he took a small step back as her menacing figure began to approach him.

Sakura rounded at Gaara then, frustrated that he was trying to stop her attempts at resuscitating Annaisha. By now, Sakura knew it was a loss cause, yet still couldn't come to accept what Gaara had done. His bothersome hindrance sent her over the edge.

"How many times do I have to tell you to stop?!" Sakura cried angrily at him, towering over him.

Before Gaara could speak, Sakura brought her fist up and used her strength to break through his shield of sand that shot up to her approaching blow. She then flattened her palm across his face. The force was enough to make the boy's head whip to the side, and his cheek instantly reddened and stung. He did not move, did not turn his head back forward to face her. Instead he stood there, frozen, and eyes wide with shock. He couldn't quite fathom what had just happened, how this pain had formed through her. This impact from her hand now was something new. Something scary, and her reprimand was just the same. Before Gaara could come to terms with what had just happened, Sakura reached for his shoulders and shook him.

"Why?!" she screamed at him. "Why did you kill her?! You didn't have to kill her! She was our friend! She deserved another chance! People change! What can I do to make you understand killing isn't the answer?!"

The boy was quiet to Sakura's words, not even gracing her with a look as he still kept his wide eyes to the side of him.

"Tell me!" she cried and shook him once again.

Gaara went unmoved, and Sakura found herself clinging onto him still while slowly dipping herself down to her knees. She lowered her head as tears trickled down her nose.

"This isn't what I wanted to happen," Sakura whispered to herself. "I just wanted you to show others that you can change too. I don't want people to be afraid of you anymore. I don't want you to feel lonely anymore, Gaara. Annaisha deserved a second a chance…Just like you do."

Yet, no matter her questions, orders, and words, her voice was already lost to him the moment she had struck him. It would be another voice that spoke to him then and drew in his attention, one that suddenly made all the more sense than Sakura's own did.

" _She has hurt you,_ " the deep voice in his mind began. " _She has betrayed you. Everything that I told you would happen is unfolding right in front you now."_

Sand was beginning to whisk again around Gaara, like a small, growing vortex, the wind began to swim the grains around his feet before Gaara hissed at the thoughts Shukaku was now placing inside his mind.

" _She threw you to your father. She cast you aside to save your attacker._ "

It was at this point Sakura noticed the grains beginning to trace around Gaara's feet, and she whipped her head up. Her eyes widened, and with a gasp recognized the boy's shift to rage. He still was not looking at her, but at his grinding teeth, racing eyes and deep breaths were a signal to the rosette that the boy was now angry. She stood herself then, backing away from him. She did this not out of fear, but in hopes Gaara could control himself in this situation.

"Gaara," Sakura whispered. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have hit you like that."

To her voice, her sudden apology, the beast in Gaara's mind became more keen. It could see now this was a chance, another opportunity to break the boy and carry out destruction to feed his sinful appetite this bright moon's night. He wasn't about to let the rosette steal that away from him.

" _She lies._ "

Gaara suddenly cried out, placing his hands and gripping his head as a surge of hot pain shot through his head. It felt like claws in his mind, to set free whatever creature was doing this, all the while listening to the voices of others.

"Gaara!" Sakura cried, watching him struggle suddenly.

The young woman stepped towards him, had every intention of taking a hold of him. Yet as soon as she reached for him, her skin touching his, he swiped at her, and Sakura froze when she saw the limb of sand, with dark markings, now encasing his arm and legs. She could see the grains slowly tracing and threatening to close in on his body as the form of a monster while he struggled still. Sakura's heart raced then, the situation was becoming dangerous by the second. The boy she could stop, the Ichibi was a different story.

" _She has deceived you,_ " the dark whisper continued. " _She cares nothing for you. What made you believe she was any different?_ "

Gaara winced at those words, still battling with pain that was now swimming through his head. Though, through the corner of his eye, he could see Sakura slowly approaching. He grounded his teeth more at the thought of her drawing near.

"Gaara," she softly spoke. "I know you're upset, but please, listen to me. Don't let _it_ get the better of you. I know you're hurting still, but I just want to help you."

Her hand made a reach for him again, and his shaking eyes widened once more to her approach.

"Don't touch me!" he screamed with a shot of wind and sand knocking Sakura back to her bottom.

As soon as she looked back up at him, she could see his sneer and demeaning expression facing her.

"Leave. Me. Alone," he growled.

Sakura was silent, watching Gaara staring down at her with distaste as sand continued to travel around his body. Meanwhile, in his mind, a dark cackle was celebrating a victory he was sure to win.

" _She's just like the rest of them,_ " he laughed. " _She hates you. She despises you. She wants you gone forever._ "

The boy's face contorted all the more as the voice continued.

" _She's just like him._ "

Though his mind was with an endless voice, Gaara and Sakura were silent staring at one another. He looked down at her with hate, while she waited for his next action, trying in her mind to think of a way to calm him down.

" _Let me,_ " the voice continued. " _and I can get rid of her. Let me, and I'll numb you from the pain._ "

"Gaara," Sakura softly spoke, hoping he would this time listen to her words.

" _Let me, and I'll hurt those_ _who_ _have hurt you._ "

An in instant Gaara's fingers formed a seal, making Sakura's heart race. She watched his mouth open, but before he could utter a word, she cried out.

"Don't!" she screamed, scrambling up to her feet.

Surprisingly, Gaara did stop his voice but his fingers were still locked together. He watched her through narrow eyes, waiting for the next move that Sakura was still deciding on.

"Stop," she continued to murmur.

She stared down at the little boy, watching the grains still swimming at his face now, morphing a good side of it to look beast-like.

' _You could knock him out,_ ' a voice in her mind told her.

But then, she thought, where would that leave her when he regained consciousness? That would only be a temporary solution. That would make him despise her more so than he did right now. That would shatter more of the trust she had worked hard to build in him. That didn't guarantee he just wouldn't do this again later. She needed to know, that Gaara would have something to fall back on if this situation came to fruition again. She wanted Gaara to realize that whatever the Ichibi said in his mind, was just poison to his already fragile mentality.

She wanted to help him.

"Gaara," she whispered, taking a step towards him.

She stopped though when his sneer returned to her movement, and his fingers tightened his sign. She held up her hands then, silently telling him she would not come any closer.

"Can I..." she began to ask, still trying to think on the spot. "Can I tell you a story?"

He didn't reply, and still stood frozen in his spot watching her intently. She knew the Ichibi in his mind was more than likely telling him opposite of her. But Gaara had to be listening to her, right? She believed her small voice could still be heard over Shukaku's growls, for even if he was still forming a seal, he hadn't said a word, and his eyes followed her's like a predator. To his silence, she took it as an invitation to speak.

"Once, there was a boy," Sakura paused, eyes swimming and trying hard to think of what to say next. "A...A lonely, little boy."

She knew for certain he was listening to her now, for he growled to her words. He wasn't naive enough then to not realize this was a story about him. Despite his irritation, he said nothing, and Sakura continued to speak.

"A sad, lonely, little boy. Who was just simply looking for a friend."

Sakura took a small step towards Gaara then, only to see him step back to her approach. He narrowed his eyes thinner towards her, silently telling her to stay away.

"...And he was different," Sakura said. "He had something inside of him he couldn't control, and that made everyone afraid of him."

"Stop!" Gaara cried, his eyes now pacing in anxiety.

"It wasn't his fault!" Sakura cried over the now growing winds. "It wasn't his fault they put something inside of him. It wasn't his fault everyone was afraid of him. It wasn't his fault his family, his mother, had no love for him."

"Shut up!" Gaara called to her again, the seal he was forming was now broken, and he now instead played with his hands in apprehension to Sakura's words.

"It was his Father's. The council, everyone who decided his fate before he was even born..." Sakura whispered for her ears only.

To his jittery state, Sakura took a step forward to Gaara, happy to see he was too preoccupied in his own mind to notice her movement.

"He was all alone for so long, and he had no one to turn to. This happened for so long, for so many years, until one day the boy decided that no one would ever love him."

"I don't like this story!" Gaara screamed at her, desperation in his voice and eyes for Sakura to stop.

He didn't need to be reminded how painful his life felt. He had been trying so hard after Yashamaru to numb himself from the feeling. Now Sakura was here, putting those doubts back in his mind, bringing up old feelings he wished would just leave. She gave him hope, yet a great fear that she would leave him heartbroken, just like his uncle had.

"Even Yashamaru hated him," Sakura said.

She knew her words then would have a great impact then. Using his uncle's name just cemented that Sakura was talking about him, and as soon as she finished that sentence, a loud, shrill scream erupted from the boy. It was a loud, long cry that made the sand around them spike up before swimming fiercely around Sakura's feet. She watched as he gripped his head hard then. The monster in his mind was urging him on, telling him to kill her or to let him out to do the job, and Sakura could recognize this. She understood evil in a way, or at least Gaara's. To his scream, his distraction, Sakura drew closer to him with sand still swimming around her feet. She stopped as soon as the boy's eyes landed back on her. He had a menacing look staring at her, his anxiety had morphed to hate and distrust for the woman, and he spat at her with a gnarr.

"I'll kill you!" he threatened. "I'll rip you apart until there's nothing left!"

Yet, Sakura was undeterred.

"Why?" she asked him, for she had warranted none of his hate.

And Gaara, it seemed, could even realize that as he tried to think of a reason. Sakura was just telling him a sad story; a tale of his life. It wasn't as if she was shedding some sort of new light onto him that would make him despise her. He was very familiar with this story already.

"Because!" Gaara cried at first, eyes wavering to the ground before he repeated in a whisper. "Because you..."

He stopped himself short, and Sakura again took another step towards him.

"Is it because your mind tells you to? Is it because I remind you of your uncle? Is it because your afraid I'll stop calling you friend?"

Narrow eyes again went to her fast, but they let up the longer they took in her words now. Sakura silently watched as Gaara winced and again gripped his head in pain.

"I am not your uncle, Gaara! Don't think I'll hurt you the same way he did!" Sakura called a little more loudly, hoping to drown out the voice in his mind.

Shukaku was desperate at this point, blood boiling that this woman's whispers could be heard over his loud speech. Yet, despite her words, Gaara sneered at her. Irritated by her constant voice now, he ordered the grains below to encase her, which they did, and Sakura did not fight back, did not struggle out of the grainy hold. She was confident in herself, in Gaara, that he would not harm her.

"He tried to kill me! Others too!" was Gaara's claim.

Maybe he thought Sakura trying to justify actions done to him before. She knew nobody was in the right trying to harm this poor boy, but by shedding some light onto him as to why they tried, the pain he caused them, he could learn better to control, hopefully.

"You want others to hurt the way you've been hurt," she called to him again, earning his angry look. "That thinking is wrong, and will leave you feeling empty with no one to sympathize with your pain. Annaisha only did this because you killed her mother. You killed someone who she loved."

Now his eyes held desperation again. Maybe guilt ate at him suddenly for what he had just done to the brunette, or maybe he worried of Sakura's view on him. Whichever reason, it gave the rosette hope that hate and despair were not the only emotions Gaara could feel.

"You knew she wasn't a threat after I hit her. If you had just waited, maybe we could have talked to her. We could have given her another chance! She could have been your friend!"

To Sakura's cry, Gaara again gripped his head.

"Shut up!" he screamed, banging his fists hard against his temple.

"People deserve second chances!"

"I told you to shut up!"

"Don't you agree?!"

The sand around her tightened suddenly. Her words weren't meant to irk, but instead enlighten him. At this point, if he wanted those who already knew him to view him in a better light, it would only come through changes and second impressions. Something that Sakura believed that many deserved, including Annaisha. She hoped the boy could see that too in himself and realize the people around him warranted the same. Hate, fear, and grudges would need to be cast aside in order for this fragile redhead to grow.

"If you talk again," Gaara hissed at her, "I _will_ kill you."

Despite his threat, his unhinged mind, the troubled words Sakura told him, the young woman gave a small chuckle in her mind to his words.

' _What?_ ' she thought. ' _He's actually giving me an option to live?_ _Doesn't that already say something?_ '

To that thought, despite his loathsome look on her still, a small smile crept on her face.

"At least, let me finish the story," she spoke.

He blinked to her words, not following through with his threat. He was silent, and so Sakura continued.

"Even if he thought the world hated him..."

Gaara's hands began to slowly move, and the sand was now beginning to squeeze Sakura's bones to break and breath to choke. Yet, she continued.

"Even when he told himself no one would ever care for him, he found a friend."

His eyes widened, and he grated his teeth. It seemed her voice had finally made him snap, and he continued twist his hand slowly in a clockwise fashion. The sand that held Sakura slowly tightened more and more to his movement.

"He found a friend," she whispered, closing her eyes. "That friend helped him, changed him, until one day that lonely, little boy had many people looking for his guidance as a leader, and had nothing but respect and love for him."

Gaara said nothing still.

"He was selfless to those who needed him, put his people before his life, and even fought countless of enemies to save that friend who changed him for the better. He found his love."

Sakura waited, hoping her words would enlighten the boy, make him view the world around just a little bit differently. She wanted him to believe in redemption and chances, wanted him to know that his pain could be subdued. Above all, she simply wanted him to know that, one day, that love he was so desperately seeking would be found. Yet, his silence and squeezing sand made Sakura doubt her words impacted the boy at all.

' _Naruto,_ ' she thought to herself. ' _I guess you're the only one who was meant to change him._ '

After finishing that thought, Sakura's eyes opened and she held a breath in as the grip on her suddenly fell. The sand that threatened her was now falling off of her in retreat. She watched the sand around her disperse as if it was sliding away in distaste. She studied the mobility of her limbs as soon as she was able to before looking up to the boy in question. However, by the time she picked up her face to look at his, Gaara was leaping for her for a desperate, tight embrace.

"Gaara," Sakura whispered, stunned he would come running to her at this point.

She felt him cling to her legs, pulling her down in need. She knelt to his silent request, and was again taken aback when he locked his arms around her neck. Despair showed in his hold, and Sakura understood why as he pleaded to her.

"Don't leave me too! I don't want to be all alone!"

His voice was shaky, and if given the opportunity, Sakura would have liked to take a peek to see if there were tears in her eyes. To that thought, she bit her bottom lip, trying to hold back her own warm tears. Never in her life did someone depend on her like this, begging her not to leave them. It touched her heart then that this child, out of all the pain and distrust he had gone through, begged _her_ for her existence. She had yet to move, yet to answer him, was instead fighting threatening tears, that the boy continued to mumble against her shoulder.

"Don't leave me, please. Don't go too. It hurts when I'm alone. Please, stay. Stay, Sakura. Stay, Sakura. Stay, Sakura...Please!"

His requests finally made Sakura's tears fall, and she thought again at how much _t_ _hey_ had damaged this poor child.

"I'd never leave you, Gaara!" she cried, finally wrapping her arms around the small boy.

She returned the embrace then, and Sakura wasn't sure how long they remained holding one another in the empty street. All she concentrated on was Gaara's light breathing as his fingers fidgeted lightly against her neck, though he dared not tear away from Sakura's heartfelt hold.

For the first time, Gaara felt the rosette's words sincere, despite the Ichibi's voice telling him otherwise, and his mind eventually grew calm upon hearing Sakura's promise now. He told himself then to do his best not to doubt her anymore, to take her words and teachings into consideration, and to welcome and relish in the new feelings she gave him instead of fearing them. He told himself that she would never abandon him. He told himself that she was nothing like Yashamaru. He told himself that she would not hurt him, ever. He told himself he could trust her. He told himself he would do whatever he could to protect her. He told himself that she was his friend.

He told himself that _this_ must be love.

He rolled his head against her shoulder slowly, relishing in the feeling that she held him out of care. He was happy knowing that she did this act not out of fear, but because of love. A small smile found him then at the thought, and he sighed with content.

They stayed like that, silent, for what felt like hours into the night. Until eventually, fatigue hit Sakura, and surprisingly, the effects too had hit Gaara as well. Even holding onto the young woman, he began dragging her down, using her neck to hold up his weight. It seemed all that transpired tonight, along with the training done earlier, effected the boy.

"Let's go home," Sakura eventually whispered.

Gaara nodded in agreement against her, and rested his head against her shoulder as she picked him up to carry him. Even if he would not accept sleep to take him, Gaara closed his eyes, relaxing while he nestled against the woman and traced his arms back around her neck.

Sakura meanwhile was worn, she had no strength for a smile, and felt her eyelids sagging with every slow step she took. Still, she held onto the boy tight and lightly rubbing his back as she walked down the dark, sandy road. She continued to replay what had happened tonight, making note that Gaara had pushed away his dark thoughts on his own. Despite what he had done earlier with Annaisha, maybe Gaara could learn control, and peace, now instead of waiting on Naruto. She whispered to the small redhead one last time before continuing on home in silence.

"You're a good boy, Gaara."


	22. Chapter 22

* * *

Dawn illuminated the room in a bright orange, and pink glow. With it came the ascending heat, and a silent beckon for those able to roll out of their sleep and embrace the day. To many, it was simply routine; to a few more appreciative others, the rising sun gave silent promise that another day was given. As some would learn eventually, not everyone had made it through the night to welcome the sun. It was a reminder too that life could sometimes be short-lived, especially in their dangerous world. Inside this struggling village was also a child they all thought as a monster. Surely, they thought, luck came outside these walls.

One girl would not see the morning glow, nor tomorrow, nor the following days. Her ambitions, her dreams, her hopes, her life, stolen by the sand.

One father, sat in his office, preferring his warm tea over his tedious paperwork for the moment. He sat watching the morning sun shed light onto his crumbling village, but he watched with a blank stare, his mind brimming with conflicting thoughts while staring at the sand.

One man was sitting on his bed, shunning off the light and instead welcoming what darkness he could keep in. Always professional, never questioning his leader, and sacrificing so much for his village, this was the first time in his life he asked with a why. He couldn't find the answer, so he continued to simply sit there while hoping the answer would find him. He was a ninja, forgetting his duties while wallowing in emotional despair. He cursed the sand.

Two children sat alone together. Mornings brought their youthful selves peace, whereas they were taught to fear the night. With the new day came guidance; Someone much older, and more experienced, would typically greet them along with the sun. Today was different however, and they sat patiently and silently, but not without wondering if they are alone today because of the sand.

One young woman did not greet the morning when it first came, instead burying herself deeper into her pillow when its brightness threatened to pull her away from sleep. Instead of the warmth from the sun, she indulged herself in the comfort her pillow and blanket brought. There is also something warm she holds in her arms, close against her chest. It rises along with her breaths, but is otherwise silent and still. It brings the young woman another sense of comfort and warmth, and she is reluctant to let it go. It is only when morning turns into early afternoon does she begin to stir awake. Grains from the night before begin to pick and itch at her skin, and eventually she is awoken by the sand.

Sakura groaned lightly as her mind began to awake. Like times before, she glances at the bed and wall in front of her, still adjusting to the idea of where she is. And yet…even when the revelation hits her, she frowns heavily, for what has happened the night before comes fresh to her mind. She sighed heavily then, remembering the brunette.

' _Annaisha..._ ' she thinks dreadfully.

Still, the thought on the brunette is short-lived when Sakura suddenly feels something shuffle in her arms. She freezes, staring down at the blanket that is covering her. She is in disbelief to what thought comes to her mind suddenly, and yet, she can feel his soft breathing and warm body against her, as well as his hand resting against her arm. She draws back the blanket, jaw dropping the second she spots his red hair. It's then Sakura tries to recollect when this would have happened. Did she place him on the bed last night, had he placed himself there while she slept? Why did he put himself next to her sleeping form when he didn't even need rest? _Never_ , did she expect him to be this close to her without drawing back.

Before Sakura could even draw the blanket all the way down, Gaara shook his head, tossing the fabric off his face before tilting his head slowly up. Sakura said nothing as his stoic, teal gaze met with her surprised, emerald one. They remained like that for some time, silently waiting for the other to speak. For Sakura, she was sure the boy was going to cast his distaste being so close to her, but he simply just kept his face firm while looking at her. Yet, with time, his face did begin to contort, and Sakura was again taken aback as she watched his lips curl to a tight, thin line and his eyes wince with moisture.

' _He's...crying?_ ' Sakura thought to herself, stunned in disbelief.

The rosette had never seen Gaara cry. Not his younger self, not his older self. She was flabbergasted to finally witness such a raw emotion on the usually stoic redhead, and for a moment, was glad to see the emotions that led to these sort of tears hadn't been completely cast away by the boy. Eventually Gaara shook hard, and he mumbled out a whisper Sakura couldn't make out. She opened her mouth to ask what he had just said, but he beat her by repeating his words more loudly and locking his eyes with hers

"I'm sorry!" he cried.

His words silenced her, and his crying suddenly became more blustering. He let his tears pour freely now, he no longer tried to bite back his whimpers, and he was quick gripping Sakura's shirt before burying his wet face above Sakura's chest. Gaara sought for the comfort that only she had brought him, yet even then she would learn he was afraid she viewed him differently after last night.

"I'm sorry," he did his best to speak through his tears, sounding like a hoarse toad. "Please don't hate me too. I'll try really hard not to hurt anyone ever again. I'll be good. I'll be good..."

His crying halted for a brief second as Sakura wrapped her arms around the small boy, holding him closer against her. She rubbed his back to comfort him while coaxing him to hush.

"It will be alright," she whispered back to him. "I could never hate you. Don't worry Gaara, nothing you do would ever make me hate you."

Her words had stifled his cries some, yet his tears still flowed out of him silently. She held tightly onto Gaara the whole time he cried, not at all minding the blubbering mess he was leaving on her clothes. She wondered how traumatized he must have been to be crying for so long when an hour came and went, and yet began to imagine these tears were long overdue. Maybe these emotions weren't all just from last night, but through many hard days and nights the boy had been going through. Pent up tears, Sakura decided, and even when Gaara's crying ceased, he held onto her still for comfort while she stroked his hair soothingly. It wasn't until she could feel him tapping his thumb softly against her arm did Sakura pull back and lift the boy's head to look at her. She couldn't help but smile sympathetically to his now swollen, red eyes.

"Are you going to be alright?" she asked him.

He took a moment to consider her question, but slowly nodded when he soon found his answer. For Sakura had dissolved his current fear; her hating him like everyone else.

"Good," Sakura murmured, her smile softening as she brushed some of his red hair out of his face. "Sometimes it helps to cry."

He blinked rapidly to her statement, eyes still watching her intently while Sakura continued to play with his red strands.

"Really?" he questioned with a small croak.

"Of course," Sakura murmured, eyes falling back onto the boy. "Crying is your body's way of getting rid of the bad, hurtful things inside of you. That's why you feel a little better after."

Gaara widened his eyes, surprised by Sakura's definition and how suddenly true it felt. Yet, he grimaced and lowered his head before admitting more.

"It still hurts," he commented before scratching his chest. "Right here."

Sakura embraced Gaara upon hearing that, pulling him once more against her before drowning him in a tight hug. Something the boy did not protest against, instead maneuvering his arms and body and burying himself within Sakura. Despite the pain he claimed, how much Sakura wanted to be rid of his terrible distress, his words offered some insight about the boy's inmost emotions. He had pain, he told Sakura, which made her wonder if all of that hurt was subject entirely from others. Certainly the majority of it came from how he had been treated, but Sakura was curious to learn if some possibly came from guilt, or remorse. Did the tears he spilled earlier hold pain knowing he had killed another yesterday? Killed someone who treated him once with kindness?

' _Annaisha..._ ' Sakura moaned in her mind.

She thought this with discontent, and it was not because Gaara did it without reason. Overall, the boy had defended himself, but to an extreme that Sakura had told him was not right. Sakura was most disappointed in this situation for what the brunette had done than what Gaara had. Annaisha smiled at Gaara without falter whilst despising him inside her mind. Why had Annaisha forced such a facade in the kitchen?

' _Maybe deep down…she wanted to forgive him..._ '

Sakura again sighed at the thought. There would be no reason to linger on the _if_ now. Annaisha was dead, that door was closed. It was Gaara who needed her guidance. It was his future she was hoping to pave just a tad bit earlier now. Despite what had happened yesterday, he could still be the hero.

' _No,_ ' Sakura reminded herself. ' _He will be a hero._ '

Even without her, Gaara had found a way. The title and respect he was certain to gain in the future did not crumble because of what had transpired last night.

"Don't worry," she whispered to the boy, pulling him tighter. "That takes time. It will go away eventually, I promise."

Gaara slipped his face back, looking up towards Sakura.

"It's been so long," he mumbled. "How much longer?"

Sakura gave him an apologetic smile.

' _Sometimes never,_ ' was what she knew was the truth, but didn't have the heart to discourage him.

"With time...you'll see. It will either go away, or you will learn to cope."

Gaara only stared at her. It hadn't been the reassuring, or happiest, answer he was looking for. Still, he was content with Sakura's promise.

The two after that were silent some time, studying one another. Only when Sakura noticed the damp tear stains on Gaara's cheeks, and eyes, did she bring her thumbs up to his face. She picked his head up slightly towards her, brushing the remaining tears from his cheeks slowly with her thumb. She remained on guard however, intently studying his eyes every so often, and his aura, just to be sure this skinship didn't provoke anything unwanted by the boy. Instead, she was surprised to feel him leaning his head to whichever thumb was brushing his cheek. She could see, and feel, tranquility on him. He did not shake to her touch, nor did he slap her hand or pull back away in distaste.

She brought her thumbs closer to his eyes, brushing away the dewy drops that lingered behind. He closed his eyes when Sakura's thumb was near, and given his now trusting state, the rosette had grown bold enough to sweep her thumb gently across Gaara's black eyelid.

"You poor thing," Sakura murmured, brushing his eyelids over and over. "Your eyes are so swollen now. It must hurt. How's your head feel?"

"It like...thumping," Gaara replied, opening his eyes open to look at Sakura, "but it feels better when you do that."

Sakura smiled at the boy, taking his words as a silent invitation that she could continue her ministrations. He closed his eyes, relaxing as her thumbs brushed against his lids and rubbed his eyes gently.

' _So black..._ ' Sakura silently thought staring at his dark folds. ' _I use to think it was because of his insomnia. It looks more likely to be a physical trait that comes from hosting the Ichibi. Just like Naruto's whiskers..._ '

Gaara sighed and relaxed more as soon as Sakura began rubbing the outer sides of his eyes and up towards his temples. His tranquility to the feel, the comfort it brought, and the thought of it coming from Sakura so willingly made the boy relax entirely that he sank back down to lay on the bed. He turned his head up for Sakura to continue which made the rosette chuckle lightly.

"You are spoiled," she commented while looking down at him.

His response.

"Please, don't stop."

Sakura shrugged, bringing her fingers to rub his head again.

"Since you said please," she murmured.

She continued her actions for quite some time, finding Gaara's relax state reward enough to keep up her ministrations. He kept his eyes closed, and his breaths soon came out in an even pace that had Sakura mildly wondering if he was slipping into sleep. When uncertainty hit her to whether the redhead was awake or not, she froze her fingers to stare at him.

"Gaara?" she whispered.

To her relief, he shifted a little to her call, though he kept his eyes closed.

"Don't stop," he slightly whined.

Sakura chuckled, picking the boy up from under his shoulders and sitting him upright. To this action, he groaned in displeasure, and brought lazy eyes up to Sakura.

"I think you were falling asleep," Sakura commented. "No more for now."

Gaara yawned, rubbing his eye as he mumbled back to Sakura.

"I was not."

He argued, but the evidence was clear as day on his face. From his tired eyes, and wide yawn, Sakura could see drops again form in the corner of his eyes. She brought her thumbs back up, wiping away his sleepy tears. Gaara, thinking Sakura had reconsidered, leaned his face towards her hands once more, inviting back her little massage. Again, the rosette took a moment to study Gaara's black eyes before drawing her hands back.

"Your eyes are so black," Sakura commented quietly.

Gaara opened his eyes to Sakura's words, stoically he stared at the young woman to understand her underlying message to his physique. Yet, all he could see in her was curiosity, and he brushed some fingers over one of his own black eyes before asking her.

"Is that bad?"

His shoulders sagged a little to his question, wary of what Sakura would tell him. The rosette only shook her head and reassured him with a smile.

"Not at all, it's unique," she said. "It's what makes Gaara Gaara."

The child seemed to appreciate her light words, for he beamed at her with a small smile.

"Just like your hair?" he asked.

To his question, Sakura turned her head back some and took a few strands of her pink locks and studied them.

"I suppose so..." Sakura murmured, eyeing her hair still. "It's fitting for my name at least. I have my parents to thank for that."

The young woman was rambling lightly, transfixed instead on how much longer her hair was looking. It was Gaara's words who drew her attention back on him.

"Because you're beautiful."

She wasn't sure whether his words were a statement, or question. Nonetheless, what he said warmed her heart a little and she turned to him, surprised Gaara would say such a thing.

"Ah?" she questioned, a little hesitant. "You think so? That's so sweet of you, thank you!"

Gaara studied Sakura for a moment, apathetically, before shaking his head.

"You told me, your parents named you Sakura because you're beautiful."

"Oh," Sakura murmured with eyes falling.

Yet, when she repeated his words in her mind, her eyes widened in surprise and she stared back at the boy in awe.

"Oh! You remember that?" she asked.

He nodded, causing Sakura's smile to grow before she let out a small, amused chuckle.

"I guess you were listening to me that day..." Sakura whispered to herself.

Silence filled the two after that, Sakura losing herself in her thoughts as Gaara sat and watched her curiously. He was unsure how to keep conversation, but was reluctant to leave the situation entirely. Before, he had very little care for the words of others. As much as he sought someone to talk to, he quickly learned those that spoke to him had venomous words that poisoned his soul. Yet now… Now that he was certain the young woman in front of him considered him in high regards, her actions and words now were soothing to his broken spirit. He did not want this moment to ever end. He wanted to learn and experience from her what a friend could mean. So, he pressed on in their conversation.

"Mother named me," Gaara broke the silence.

Sakura looked back up at Gaara with a smile. She was right in thinking Gaara was enthusiastic speaking to her like a friend. He may not convey it entirely emotionally, but she was beginning to learn how to read Gaara. Her eyes encouraged him to press on.

"She named me that because I'm a demon whose only suppose to love himself. A self-loving demon."

Sakura's eyes nearly bulged. Not because the information was new to her, but because she never thought the child to say something so openly to her. He also could not have said to any more nonchalant than he did now. It was like he was relaying to her the weather outside, without a skeptic thought in his mind. He even looked at her with some enthusiasm shining in his eyes; he was probably more proud of himself keeping up the conversation than realizing what he had just told her.

Before she could think of what to say, Gaara curved his eyes to the ceiling in thought and spoke again.

"Yashamaru told me Mother never loved me, and that she hated the village."

His eyes fell back to Sakura, and he did not acknowledge her surprised eyes and fallen jaw. As silence continued, Gaara tilted his head slightly, looking towards his gourd in the corner of the room.

"Mother's are strange," he added.

Sakura couldn't keep her voice quiet any longer.

"You know that's not true," Sakura began. "About your name I mean."

Gaara whipped his eyes fast towards Sakura, uncertain what she meant.

"The meaning of it," Sakura continued. "The demon, and self-loving part..."

Gaara was quiet, staring at Sakura solemnly. Sakura waited on his answer, and before long, the redheaded finally murmured in a whisper.

"Gaara is Gaara."

His words were an underlying message, to Sakura, that he didn't try to deny what it was his mother claimed him to be. Why would he? The village gave him no acknowledgment these past years, why would he have any doubt in thinking that he was the only one capable of loving himself? Gaara thought himself as just that, a demon who only cared for himself. However, Sakura would try to deny him that thinking.

"Gaara is Gaara," she repeated to him. "Gaara is my friend."

She watched the boy scan the blankets under him, deep in thought. A child he was, but he was quick in understanding when Sakura was trying to relay something meaningful to him. The way she spoke, by her tone alone, he knew Sakura was trying to tell him something much deeper, and he took his careful time trying to figure it out.

"Like time, people change," Sakura continued.

The boy lifted his eyes back up to here. She smiled to him then with a nod of her head.

"If you had asked me before I found you, I wouldn't think I would be making a new friend with time."

Gaara's eyes briefly widened then, falling back to the bed under him. He understood now what it was Sakura was trying to convey. The future was uncertain. Gaara had doubts before that anyone, besides his uncle, would ever converse with him. From Yashamaru's betrayal, came a certainty in the little boy that the blinding pain in his heart could not be fixed by anyone. He would just have to strive to live on only for himself, learning to numb that pain and casting aside the thought of another accepting him. Yet, here he was, sitting and conversing with a pink-haired woman that smiled his way and did not flinch to his presence. She pressured to get to know him as he did his best to push and scare her away. Instead of finding her presence frightful, he now drew to her unconditionally. Time, and her, were changing him. For Gaara, Sakura suddenly became all the more magical.

"Promise you'll always be my friend," the boy whispered, eyes turning to her before shying away.

The silence that followed began to irk him some, but the feeling was quickly forgotten as Sakura gently brushed the underside of his chin with her fingertips. She drew his face and eyes to look back up at her. His eyes widened to drown in the heartwarming grin she had for him as he silently gasped. Without a second thought, or falter in her voice, she spoke clearly.

"I promise."

Her head tilted then, grin falling and eyes turning as she hummed in thought. Despite this, she still lifted Gaara's chin gently. Eventually she turned to look back at him with a small smile of her own.

"But," she began playfully. "You have to promise me the same."

In his mind, he thought her slightly crazy. Why even ask for that promise, she was the only one who was giving him acknowledgment. She was the only one now who showed concern over his well-being. It was her who offered support and guidance whereas everyone else feared him. It was her who was changing him, making him rethink the cruel world around him. It was her, who promised first. It was Sakura, who became his friend. How could she even think she had to make him promise? Was it not already a given what she meant to him?

"Of course!" he cried to her before swallowing hard, his words next came softly like a wind's whisper. "I promise."

It was then, Sakura thought back to his older self. Would this promise carry on? Something that would be in an older Gaara's mind?

' _I should promise him not to be upset with me either for dropping that scroll..._ '

The thought was merely playful, and she rid of it before grinning at Gaara.

"That makes me so happy," she claimed. "I'm glad will be friends forever. No matter what, I'll always be proud of you."

His older self as Kazekage appeared in her mind, and she whispered to the boy before drawing her hand back.

"Always."

Her words must have sparked such strong emotion in the boy, for that rare grin he had only showed off once to her suddenly reappeared. The big smile made Sakura's chest tighten with elation. He could be the cutest boy in the world, and possibly win everything over, if he showed off such a strong smile on more frequent occasions. And yet, as she stared into his once toothy smile, she realized something was different this time.

"You lost your tooth?!" Sakura exclaimed excitedly.

Gaara didn't protest as Sakura made a reach for his face, pulling him closer to her and bringing her face down to examine the small, open gap in his gums. She watched as Gaara pressed against the opening with his tongue, studying it in wonder too.

"I lost it yesterday," he replied with a few smacks of his mouth.

Sakura stared at him silently, for the topic of last night felt like taboo to speak now. He must have lost it during his fight, and the chaos that happened yesterday, Sakura figured. A little sad to hear, for the young woman had wanted to show Gaara the tradition that came with loosing a tooth.

' _Ah well,_ ' she thought with a shrug. ' _It's not like he won't lose more._ '

She giggled silently while she watched Gaara play with the opening still with his tongue. Her small laugh earning back his eyes.

"What?" he mumbled, somewhat bashfully.

Sakura just shook her head before replying.

"Nothing. Just surprised at how fast you're growing."

His eyes widened slightly again, studying Sakura's smile still.

"Also," she began to add. "You look so cute now with that missing tooth."

Shy to her words, he turned and narrowed his eyes away from her. Cute was not the definition this little boy had wanted to hear of himself. Despite the word's complimenting meaning, it didn't speak for the strength he hoped the rosette could see in him

"I'm not cute," he mumbled under his breath.

He made Sakura chortle again, and she sat thoughtful while staring at the pouting boy, her smile never faltering. Eventually, Gaara had turned back to her, taking in her look and smile before gracing her warmly with a small smirk of his own.

' _He is happy,_ ' was all Sakura could think while staring at his smile.

He needn't endure too many hardships here on out, for she was here now, Sakura thought to herself. Her hand returned to his face then, and Gaara leaned in to her hand as it cupped his cheek affectionately. They did not speak, instead their eyes locked on each other.

' _You've done good,_ ' Sakura told herself. ' _At least someone with a troubled past has taken you to heart._ '

Sakura was proud of herself then, but more importantly, enthralled that Gaara's happiness and kindness could now shine this early on. Maybe the love she always carried for her friends was exactly the medicine Gaara had needed. Too immersed in Sasuke at a young age, where he gave her love no implication that it would heal his hurting soul, she realized now the boy next to her was exactly seeking what she had to offer.

Love.

To that thought, Sakura smirked.

' _Could I have helped you when we were younger?_ ' she thought. ' _Maybe if I had lived here instead. Maybe if I had been willing to care for others like I did Sasuke-kun..._ '

Sakura didn't dawdle on the idea long, for that past of her had changed. She had eventually learned to care and love others, and she had helped so so many. There was nothing wrong in her future, nor Gaara's. There was no reason to think of the _if's_ , when everything had turned out just fine for the both of them. So instead, she went back to wondering what the near future had in store for the small child in front of her who now gladly soaked in the kindness she offered him. No doubt a nurturing side to him would bloom a lot more quickly now, and the thought of becoming the next Kazekage would present itself a lot more earlier.

"You'll be a great leader," she whispered to the boy.

Encouraging words that made Gaara's heart beat more quickly, though, that sentence was still mind-boggling in his head then the first time she had said it. He knew what a leader was, what their role entitled, but she couldn't possibly be hinting to him that he would become one. After all, nobody but her seemed to give an accepting glance his way. How could he be what she claimed when it was only _her_ who liked him? He rested his head against her hand now before opening his mouth to ask what she meant.

Sakura watched as Gaara's curious eyes lit up, and he opened his mouth to speak. Yet, before a word could be uttered, he whipped his head quickly out of her hand and turned his gaze to the side of him. His eyes widened and flashed as he stared intently towards his bedroom door.

"What is it?" Sakura asked, concerned by Gaara's sudden tense state.

Yet, the boy did not answer her, did not move, and he only continued to keep his attention entirely at the wooden entryway. Sakura had seen this look on him once before, and couldn't help but turn her attention towards the door. Last time Gaara had tensed like this, he had noticed before her that Baki was making his way towards the room. So, she waited, anticipating a knock while wondering which soul was brave enough to come to Gaara's quarters.

' _Baki again?_ ' she wondered.

Maybe someone new, or maybe even his father. Sakura tensed at the thought of Rasa asking for Gaara again. Yet, while she had these rushing thoughts while waiting for a knock, no noise ever came with the passing minutes. Still, Gaara was tense staring at the door.

' _Maybe he is mistaken,_ ' Sakura thought.

The rosette made her way to the door then, hoping to put Gaara's mind at east. Yet, the unexpected happened as soon as she opened the doorway.


	23. Chapter 23

Sakura was met with loud cries erupting in front of her. Opening the door had surprised the occupants opposite of her, and by the time Sakura could look out the hallway to examine who they were, Kankuro had already stumbled backwards to his bottom while Temari cried from down the hall and scurried in a flash back down the stairs.

' _What the…?_ ' Sakura thought while seeing their panic states.

She knelt before Kankuro who looked to have been listening in through the door.

"Calm down!" she told him, reaching for his shoulders.

To her voice, her reassurance, the boy did slowly stifle his cry. Still, anxiety was in him, and he kept glancing from Sakura to the room behind her. It wasn't a complicated puzzle to the young woman as to why they were suddenly afraid. Sakura shook her head at Kankuro, grimacing while wondering what possessed the two children to come up here if they were frightened to be near Gaara this much. She glanced behind her, hoping to decipher Gaara's feelings on this revelation. Last he saw his siblings, he had wasted no time following suit to their running figures. Yet, the bed Gaara had sat on was now empty.

' _Where did he go?_ ' Sakura wondered.

"Sakura..."

Kankuro had murmured her name, earning back her attention. Down the hall, Temari had returned, but only peering her eyes over the wall; she was not willing to draw near.

"We're hungry."

Sakura looked back down at the boy, surprised. Though the cook of the house was gone, did their caretakers not have the means to prepare them food, she wondered. It was already late into the afternoon.

"You haven't had your lunch yet?" Sakura asked.

Kankuro grimaced to her question, head falling some before he replied.

"We haven't eaten all day. Annaisha isn't here."

The young woman's eyes widened. They had no clue what had happened to the cook, and yet while that thought bothered Sakura, another issue presented itself. Why were these children cared for so diligently by others daily, but neglected to the point of starving today? A small anger began to build in Sakura. Whoever was in charge today for Temari and Kankuro were going to get an earful from her.

"Whose watching you today?" Sakura snapped lightly, causing the small boy to jump lightly from his spot.

Yet, despite her loud voice, Kankuro brought his eyes back up to Sakura.

"Baki-sensei has been watching us," Kankuro mumbled.

Sakura blinked.

' _Baki and Annaisha were..._ ' her mind began to rattle. ' _Is it possible he isn't here now because of what happened last night._ '

They were lovers, Baki and Annaisha. The feelings Sakura had picked up looked to be deep. Had grief stricken the disciplined ninja to ignore his duties? Sakura swallowed hard at the thought, it pained her to think how overwhelmingly depressed Baki now was. They were taught to cast away such emotions for reasons like this, but it was much harder said than done.

Love could be a wonderful thing, but also a cruel, heart-breaking lesson.

"Sakura?"

It was Kankuro's concerned voice that shook off the woman's thoughts. Looking back down at the brunette, she could see the suspicion in his eyes. Yet, Kankuro had just asked the rosette not long ago when it was he and his brother could play together. She couldn't shatter that hope by telling him why Baki was not here, or why Annaisha would never be back again.

"Where is Shiori-san?" she instead asked.

Kankuro opened his mouth, but it was Temari who beat him to the answer as she called from down the hall.

"Baki-sensei told us she got sick and died."

Sakura eyes nearly bulged to Temari's nonchalant answer.

' _When had this all happened?!_ ' Sakura wondered in her mind.

Why had she not been informed of this sickness? She was a medic damn it! Even Rasa was aware of her place. At the very least she could have evaluated the older woman and determined what the outcome would be. She may have possibly been able to save her. Why had Baki not mentioned this before? Why had Annaisha kept this information secret?

Sakura blinked again in thought.

' _Unless..._ ' Sakura wondered, once again turning her eyes back and scanning for Gaara. ' _Maybe they're keeping something from me._ '

She couldn't spot the redheaded still, yet her senses still picked him up somewhere in the room. Not that she imagined him to run away anyway; he simply hid himself from sight.

"Is he in there?"

Kankuro again drew back her attention, and she was surprised to see his eyes light up more curiously than falter from fear; unlike his sister, who stood still far towards the stairs. They both waited for Sakura's answer, and as the rosette nodded softly, she was again surprised to see that it was Temari's face who was the only one to fall and give a small whimper. Sakura focused her eyes on Kankuro then, studying him as his eyes slid past her shoulder and towards the room behind her.

"Can he hear us?" Kankuro eventually asked.

Sakura turned her head back towards the room, still sensing the boy who hid himself. Yet, before she could confirm to Kankuro that he probably could, Kankuro asked another surprising question.

"Can I say hi?"

Sakura's head whipped fast to Kankuro then in bewilderment, but the brunette held her gaze with determined eyes. He was serious with his question, and with the fear from earlier washed away, Sakura actually took his words into consideration. Despite the protesting whimpers his sister had behind him, Sakura took in the confidence the young boy was sending her now.

_This_ was what Sakura had been hoping for Gaara for such a long time now. Someone to give Gaara the benefit of the doubt; that all he needed was kindness to learn and grow. Here, Kankuro was willing, willing to give his brother a chance. Willing to start a bond now. Willing to forgive. Willing to love.

Despite what Annaisha had done to Gaara the night before, what Gaara had told Sakura before about not having siblings, Sakura was hopeful still. That hope made her stand back tall, offering her hand to help the brunette boy up to her feet. Sakura eyed him once more, determining whether he was sincere with his question. She could see no falter in his eyes, just curiosity and a bit of apprehension, and that alone was enough for Sakura to step back and allow Kankuro an open invitation into the room.

Kankuro stood frozen at this revelation, head quickly going back and forth between Sakura and the bedroom. He poked his head in the room after some time, scanning the area before grimacing and looking back up at Sakura.

"He's not in there," Kankuro murmured.

Sakura stared into the room. Again, though she could not see Gaara, she felt his small presence lingering. A presence that felt non-threatening.

"Oh, he's in there," Sakura murmured before turning a small smile towards the brunette. "Shall we go in together?"

The boy again gazed up in her in surprise. Of course there was apprehension on his part, yet Sakura's presence and reassuring smile spoke and encouraged him more than the fear he had developed for his brother held him back. Sakura spent night and day with Gaara, yet she lived, and with smiles nonetheless. Even her words of wisdom sang to him in his mind then.

" _He will love you, someday._ "

' _Today?_ ' he wondered.

Even his sister's quiet hiss behind him went ignored.

"Don't," Temari begged Kankuro. "You know what he is. You know what he does."

Sakura shot Temari a glare, and the girl's eyes fell and lips pursed. Still, the offer she made to Kankuro was also an invitation for Temari.

"Would you like to come in and say hello too?" Sakura asked the blonde.

Temari quickly shook her head, pressing her body further behind the wall. So, Sakura instead turned her smile back towards Kankuro.

"I'll come in with you," Sakura said, trying to convince him still. "I promise I won't let anything bad happen to you."

Though she spoke that, the rosette liked to think that Gaara had taken her teachings more to heart today than any other day. She held on to a belief that no harm would come simply because Gaara would not perceive his own brother as one. She wanted to believe he would be anticipating, just as much as Kankuro was, for this meeting. He had no reason to lash out. Though, as Kankuro took a step into the room, Sakura striding next to him, she did begin to have her doubts.

' _Perhaps I should have consulted Gaara first,'_ Sakura thought. ' _Even if Kankuro is ready, Gaara may not be._ '

The two walked slowly into the middle of the room. The air around them was so silent, that Sakura could pick up Kankuro's accelerated breaths with ease. She could see him tremble lightly in his spot as he peered around the room. To his anxious form, Sakura settled a hand on his shoulder. He turned to look at her comforting smile.

"Don't be afraid," Sakura said. "Gaara is quiet, but he likes when people try to talk to him. He will be happy knowing you wanted to speak to him."

Sakura sent Kankuro a wink then.

"He couldn't ask for better big brother," she finished.

Kankuro's eyes widened some, and even a light pink tinted his cheeks. Perhaps he had become slightly flustered at the term of big brother, and her compliment. Her words seemed to scare away any anxiety left in him, for he nodded at Sakura with a set gaze before turning his head away from her. Again, he peered around the room, looking for the person Sakura claimed could see and hear them. Slightly behind him, Sakura stared up towards the ceiling, watching the boy on their minds hanging upside down.

Gaara's eyes met with Sakura's own. She was thankful to see no animosity in his orbs, he simply stared at her apathetically. Though, with time, he tilted his head some curiously towards her. It was his silent way of asking her what was happening. She kept quiet however, as Gaara did the same and remained hidden. Perhaps he thought Kankuro was simply passing by. Maybe just requiring something from Sakura before he would take his leave without a care or concern for the redhead.

Sakura squeezed Kankuro's shoulder again before leaning her head down to whisper to the brunette.

"Did you not want to say anything after all?" she asked him

Kankuro grimaced.

"I don't see him though," Kankuro whispered back, tilting his head some to meet with Sakura's eyes.

"Just say hello," Sakura said, straightening herself back up. "We may not be able to see him, but he can see and hear us."

Her eyes went back to Gaara, catching his narrowing eyes. Though he did claim, and have, trust in Sakura, her whisper figure over Kankuro put him a little on edge. The brunette boy below hadn't earned anything, except maybe a warrant for death, from him. In Gaara's eyes, the boy under him was nothing like Sakura, and would probably never be. He trusted no one else.

"H-Hello, Gaara."

Sakura looked back up at Gaara, smiling when his attention on her was now stolen by Kankuro's call. The redheaded boy had widened his eyes some, and he blinked rapidly while studying the boy under him more closely. In his mind, the familiarity of this child finally surfaced. He was aware this child lingered in the home like him, and while he knew there was some relationship between him and the brunette that called to him, Gaara had long forgotten what is was.

' _Brother, right?_ ' Gaara's mind began to pull up, remembering all that Sakura had told him. ' _That's right, there was a blonde haired girl too._ _A s_ _ister_ '

Gaara's eyes narrowed. Why were they there now? Did they wish too harm him? To that thought, Gaara's eyes widened towards Sakura. Did they wish to harm her as well, he wondered. Yet, as he looked towards Sakura, he could see her smile. A readable expression for him now, as something in his mind told him that everything was going to be alright the longer he stared at her soft expression. So, whilst a part of him urged him to strike Kankuro down now before any harm came, he held back, kneeling himself instead onto the ceiling floor before glancing back towards the boy.

At this point, Kankuro looked back up towards Sakura. Her eyes met with him in a wide smile. The boy, however, looked disappointed

"He's not saying anything," Kankuro murmured.

Sakura just nodded.

"Don't worry," she whispered. "He heard you. He's just shy. Maybe try saying something else."

Kankuro wrinkled his nose while he thought deeply before looking back up towards the rosette.

"Like what?"

Sakura shrugged lightly.

"Anything you like. Maybe you could introduce yourself."

As Sakura spoke, her eyes slid behind her as another small presence came forward. Temari had dared to venture close, but like the wall, she hugged the door in a means to shield herself. Though curiosity had drawn her close enough to watch her brother reach out to Gaara.

Kankuro meanwhile turned around and spoke to the room once more. Taking the young woman's words to heart.

"I'm Kankuro, and I'm your..." the brunette paused for a moment, swallowing hard before finishing his sentence in a whisper. "...brother."

He waited, hoping the silence would break. Yet, he was left disappointed once again. It would be Sakura's squeeze on his shoulder that would make him speak again.

"Keep going," she also encouraged him.

"Oh, uh-" Kankuro murmured to the ground, thinking deep again before lifting his eyes back up. "Sakura says we can play together one day. I mean-when you want to that is. I have some really cool toys!"

She watched Kankuro glance around the room slowly.

"You have some neat toys too," he continued. "We could kick the ball outside together, or play ninja… or train together. I could teach you how to move puppets."

To Kankuro's murmurs, Sakura could feel her chest tighten once more. As encouraging as the brunette's words were, his tone held a deep pain. While Kankuro had his sister, she could understand then that there was some emptiness in him that had yet to be filled. If it ever could be. Perhaps he thought Gaara to help fill that void, for he spoke desperately now to encourage the redhead to accept him.

"We can do whatever you think is fun," he continued to speak.

Still, he was met with silence in the room. Sakura expected him to turn once more to her for an explanation, or for guidance on what to do next. Yet, surprisingly, he continued to speak on his own. As he did, Sakura peeked an eye back up to Gaara. He had not moved from his spot, his eyes still narrow and set on the boy under him.

"I think if you give her time, Temari would want to play with you too. She's really smart, she stands up for me and helps me out all the time. I bet she'd do the same for you too if you wanted."

Sakura expected to hear a protest from the door of some kind, but was again surprised to hear Temari keep her lips pursed. The young woman wasn't sure if the little girl did so out of fear, or genuine curiosity.

"Father always said we should stay away from you…"

Sakura flinched to those words. The thought of Kankuro bringing up their distant father hadn't crossed her mind, and her eyes steadily watched Gaara. She was unsure how the boy would react to the mention of the one he feared. Gaara had not moved, but his eyes had narrowed all the more to slits.

"And Uncle Yashamaru always sent us away if we came too close to your room."

The grip Sakura had on the brunette's shoulder tightened. These names, these people, the boy spoke of now were like taboo to Gaara, and it made Sakura grow slightly nervous. Though, she did her best to hide that feeling.

"Alright," Sakura whispered to Kankuro, eyes still on Gaara."I think we should leave Gaara alone now."

Yet, despite her warning, Kankuro ignored her and even pulled himself out of her tight hold.

"Father says Mother didn't love you like she loved us," Kankuro explained.

"Enough," Sakura whispered harshly towards Kankuro, still trying to hold back the rising panic in her voice.

A small noise caught Kankuro, as well as the others, attention and all heads turned up towards the ceiling watching the small boy rise from his position. They were all silent, save for Temari's small whimpering, as they saw Gaara's eyes widen and nose flare dangerously towards his brother. Sakura was certain that look Gaara now sent Kankuro would stifle the boy's voice. Instead though, the brunette looked up in small awe at his little brother before whispering once more to him.

"Everyone says your a monster. That you kill for fun. That your dangerous and crazy. That you should just go away. _Forever_."

In a flash, Sakura was able to determine Gaara's next move. He released his chakra from his footing then, falling towards the floor in front of Kankuro. Before he had even landed though, Sakura had pulled, and tossed, Kankuro to his bottom behind her. She stood between Gaara and Kankuro now in a means to protect the brunette. No doubt his words had lit a fire in the redhead that boiled into a rage within him. Kankuro behind her had lifted himself up to his elbows, watching Gaara in front of him while Temari gave a silent gasp before rushing to her brother's side.

"Kankuro!" Temari cried, reaching down to help him.

At the same time, Sakura was watching the boy in front of her pick himself up from the floor. As he did, his eyes did not fall onto her but instead past her to his brother behind her. Narrow, angry eyes did not falter as they stared deep towards Kankuro.

"Gaara," Sakura whispered.

But she got no response. The room went silent, waiting on anything. The children this time remembered not to run.

"Your my brother."

Sakura's eyes widened, shocked the young boy behind her had spoken, let alone still have the courage to keep his voice so steady. She was also surprised to hear him make such a declaration even after all he had just said. It was if behind his words he was secretly telling Gaara that regardless of the past, of what their father had told them, and Gaara's evil-doings, he saw himself still connected to the redhead by blood. As Sakura looked back at Gaara, she could also see his narrow eyes ease up some. Where there was anger, he was now staring down at Kankuro with an apathetic stare.

"Your my brother," Kankuro repeated in a whisper. "We're suppose to play with each other, and I'm suppose to teach you things. I can't be afraid of you anymore because I have to be someone who watches over you. Brothers are suppose to be the best of friends, right?"

Sakura couldn't help herself. Even if she was still on guard, her frown turned into a quick smile then. How had Kankuro learned to be so selfless and caring? His sweet words made the rosette choke for a moment, and she even lifted her head up to hide the tears that were building up. She batted them away with her eyelashes before looking back down towards Gaara. The young boy's eyes were on her this time, and he only stared at her curiously while the two other children behind her waited in silence. In Gaara's eyes, Sakura could see the wonderment that lit up his gaze. How could the small boy turn away such a wonderful offer? Despite the pain in the past, despite what Annaisha had done the night before, he was willing to try again with someone new, and it was all thanks to the rosette in front of him. She promised to stick by his side, called herself his friend, and had been keeping her word since the very start that made Gaara hold on to a hope from her actions. A hope that the rosette claimed would come for him.

" _Everyone will look up to you someday._ "

He took small steps forward, coming next to Sakura before pressing his body next to her and wrapping his hands around her leg. He used her as protection, a shield, and also as steady reassurance that those behind her did actually want to be part of his life. He hid his head partially behind her, but kept one eye still on Kankuro, studying him. Silence still filled the room, and minutes past by. Yet, to Gaara's small step forward, the small way he clung onto her now, Sakura was more than confident knowing Gaara sought out Kankuro's invitation more than he heed it. Perhaps, if the Gaara of Sakura's time was aware a situation like this could have occurred in his childhood, he would have given away a myriad of things to the person who could make it happen.

It wasn't until Sakura brushed Gaara's red locks thoroughly did the small boy look back up at her.

"Kankuro said hello, you should say hi back," Sakura spoke, trying to guide the boy away from his antisocial behavior.

However, Gaara remained quiet still. Looking back and forth between Kankuro and the floor as his head moved lightly to Sakura's strokes. After a moment, Gaara looked back up at Sakura.

"He's my brother?" Gaara asked in a whisper.

Sakura nodded with a smile, knocking down whatever walls of lies Rasa and the Ichibi had built in Gaara's mind. It was a sick thought, to convince such a small one that he had no family.

"If you're kind to him, he will be kind to you. It's just like he says, brothers are suppose to watch over one another," Sakura continued. "Your sister too. Show her the kindness you have shown me."

Despite her reassuring words, his eyes and frown grew pessimistic. It wasn't that he didn't know how to be kind, but that the anxiety in him made his sand lash out. It made his mind rattle at the thought of becoming close to his siblings, just to have them run away like everyone else before; or worse, they could possibly turn against him as easily as his uncle had. It was just easier for him to scare them. To put a fear into them so they would leave him be in what he concluded was isolated peace. However, the older woman he held on to wouldn't accept that answer. She gave him hope.

"Don't worry," Sakura murmured. "I'll be right here. I promise nothing bad will happen."

And he believed her. Told himself he would after yesterday. He promised to be good, to be the better person she somehow could see in him. He took another step forward, placing himself in front of his brother. He did all this, because he didn't want to disappoint the rosette yet again. He pushed himself so Sakura wouldn't push him away.

"H-Hi," Gaara whispered so softly, twiddling his fingers lightly as he stared at Kankuro and Temari.

To his gesture, both Temari and Kankuro's eyes widened in shock as both their jaws hung. Six years they had been told the boy in front of them was the cause of all their fears and nightmares within the home. Nobody defended their brother's name when they had asked why Gaara was so distant, so cold, so bloodthirsty. They were being convinced Gaara was nothing more to them than a hindrance, and a monster. He was the main cause of innocence stolen. He was brought into this world with the sacrifice of their mother's life. They had been taught, told, and convinced so many things against Gaara.

And yet.

And yet…

Here was a young woman with pink hair tossed almost humorously into all three of their lives. It was thought of a joke to the three of them thinking she would survive with Gaara. Even the redheaded boy in the beginning too was just waiting for the perfect moment to be rid of her. She was a joke. Yet, she had told all three otherwise, repeating when she could,

" _You will all love one another someday._ "

Sakura had told Temari without a doubt that her brother would one day care for her, and that she would return the feeling. Sakura had whispered to Kankuro not to hate his brother, for she was certain at the time that his mother would have been in despair at the sight. Right now, the two older children stared silently at the their shy, younger brother, it was Sakura's words ringing in their mind. Not their teachers, not their caretakers, not the villagers, and not their father's.

However, Gaara began to mistake their silent gaze, and slowly began to backtrack his way to Sakura. It was his brother who jumped to his feet to stop him. His big smile, and small laugh had caught Gaara by such surprise that Gaara froze instantly, a little wary, to his approaching figure. Kankuro, to say the least, was overjoyed seeing Sakura's promise now suddenly coming to life. He promised himself then he would try to be the best, big brother that he could. He offered his hand to Gaara without any hesitance, still chuckling behind his smile. Meanwhile, Gaara leaned back away from his hand, still skeptical at the gesture and his brother's smile.

Sakura turned to watch the ordeal, not surprised to see Gaara turn up to look at her for an explanation. She smiled while lifting her own hand and used her other to point at it.

"It's a handshake," she explained with a grin. "Watch."

She knelt down then, taking Kankuro's hand into hers and shaking it gently before pulling back.

"Just like that," she smiled at Gaara who watched curiously.

"It means we agree to be the best of brothers!" Kankuro beamed with a grin, offering still his hand.

Gaara just stared at his brother in slight awe. So rare was a smile sent his way, so rare was he offered such a promise and gesture, so rare was he met with something else than hostility that his mind still shook with uncertainty. All of this was something he had been hoping for his whole life. It had been so many long, lonely years that it was still so hard to fathom that things were changing so fast in front of him. This was all he had wanted out of life, for people to accept him for who he was and acknowledge his place in this world. In a way, his excitement was also morphing fear into his mind. This was all too good to be true, right?

"It means you also have to promise not to hurt us."

It was Temari's voice this time that caught the little boy's attention. He watched her with eyes he was more accustom to seeing. They were narrowed in his direction, a warning to him, and her tone as well matched her forbidding words. However, as she spoke, she quickly paced herself next to Sakura, shielding some of her small body behind the older woman. Her bravado was only strong against Gaara with Sakura nearby. Still, there was no dickering in her words, and Gaara was reminded again how much his easy slip-ups cost him.

This was going to be hard.

Possibly too hard.

Especially for him and his violent mind.

Maybe it's just better he refuses.

Yet, before he can do just that, Sakura knelt once more to his level. The boy didn't flinch as she tucked some stands of his red locks behind his ear before whispering secretly into it.

"Don't worry. I know you can do this. I'll be here to help you when you need it."

He crooked his head towards her, whispering so quiet so as to not let his brother hear of his uncertainty.

"What if I make them mad?"

As he speaks, his eyes fall toward Temari. Her hostile demeanor is a reminder to Gaara that he can't have nice things in his life. That even this gesture now is asking, and hoping, for too much. Sakura pauses for a moment, and Gaara begins to feel foolish. He is growing more and more certain that this is a bad idea. At least he still has some decency in his mind to think that way. However, Sakura rebuttals those thoughts.

"This is what you want," she whispers.

And she is right. It is what he wants.

"Don't let anyone, or anybody, stop you from getting the things you want," Sakura continued to tell him. "If this is what you want I know you will do your best, and work hard, to not break this bond."

And she is right. He doesn't want to scare his siblings away now, not after the courage they built up just to come in and say hello.

"You are Gaara," she reminds him. "I keep telling you everyone will look up to you one day. You will be a great leader to them."

She pauses for a moment before continuing, smiling when she hears Gaara hitch a breath like he always does to those encouraging words.

"There are no better two than your siblings to start off with. Your brother and sister will be your closest allies."

She is wrong, this time the redhead thinks.

Sakura is more than certain she needs not say more, but Gaara draws her back with more words.

"You as well."

Sakura blinked, wide-eyed. She isn't sure if is stating a fact, or asking a question, but she nodded and answered him as if he had.

"Of course," she smiles.

Gaara smiles along with her before turning the happy feature towards his waiting brother. All, save Gaara, watched in wonderment as the boy took a step forward towards Kankuro. Slowly, his hand reached for the brunette's ready one.

"Brothers?" Kankuro asked with a grin before contact is even made.

Gaara's fingers fidget lightly against Kankuro's skin, nonetheless, it doesn't take the smallest boy too long to lock hands in lax with Kankuro, and Gaara smiles gently and longingly at the contact between them.

"Brothers," he agreed.


	24. Chapter 24

Despite the uplifting revelation, there was still a child who lingered by Sakura's side with caution.

Sakura had been able to usher the trio of siblings into the kitchen, preparing them the most basic of meals. There was definitely a smile on her face as she cut and cook while listening to the two brothers as they waited for a meal. Kankuro was ecstatic with his words, reminiscing to Gaara about his training and how he was being taught with puppets. He boasted about his past accomplishments he had achieved at his young age. He explained to Gaara when his birthday was, what sort of toys he had been given, what pets he had tried to raise, and all while asking Gaara questions that would reveal the boy's secret past.

The redheaded boy shared Kankuro's same enthusiasm, but his voice was still small and quiet compared to the brunette's. His answers were even short.

"I lost my tooth, is that an accomplishment?"

"I don't know when my birthday is."

"I have lots of toys."

"Yashamaru never let me have a pet. I once found a scarpien though."

And his most quietest of answers, the one that came out in just a whisper.

"I fight with my sand."

Surprisingly, his shy nature and answers did not deter Kankuro away. Even if the brunette was aware of Gaara's deadly grains, the boy would instead smile at Gaara's openness.

"Dad fights with sand too!" he exclaimed. "It's shines and sparkles in the sun. Does yours do that too?"

It was maybe Kankuro did not understand that Rasa's grains were auriferous. Nonetheless, Gaara quietly shook his head no and Sakura had to take a glance back at the small boy then. As uplifting as the scenario was for all of them, Rasa's name was still taboo to Gaara's ears and she worried Kankuro would leave the child upset at the mention of Rasa.

"Kankuro," Sakura had called then from her cooking, "explain to Gaara how you move your puppets."

And he did, while displaying his fingers to Gaara. The mention of Rasa was forgotten, and Sakura's smile had returned while listening to the brunette speak so ecstatically to Gaara. Kankuro held such an excited grin, and Gaara smiled happily at his words and attention.

Staring at the two however was Temari, and her frown was heavy as she stood by Sakura through the whole ordeal quietly.

Even when Sakura had told the two older children after lunch that they were free to go back to their own rooms or wherever they pleased, it was Kankuro who had asked if he could tag along back to Gaara's room. Sakura had looked at the small boy then, wondering if it was possible for him to become overwhelmed at this moment. From just a short amount of time, the boy had gone from thinking he had absolutely no family to interact with to gaining a loud brother and quiet sister. Yet, in his eyes, Sakura saw contentment. Though more placid about it, she could feel Gaara's enthusiasm match with his brother.

' _Best of friends already?_ ' Sakura thought with a smirk.

Still, she wanted to be courteous of Gaara's own feelings and asked him.

"Is this what you want?"

She smiled when the boy grinned, showing off his missing tooth and nodded quickly.

"Un!" he replied.

How could she say no?

"Just remember to share your toys."

Before Gaara could agree, Kankuro had patted his back.

"Come on! I'll race you!"

And Gaara surprisingly didn't need an explanation for this innocent challenge. The small boy raced up the stairs after Kankuro towards his room. Only then, as the boy's disappeared, did Sakura turn to look at the young lady who still idled cautiously at her side. Though she did not share the same feelings as Kankuro, Sakura didn't have to heart to send her off alone.

"Why don't you come too?" Sakura asked Temari with a smile.

The young girl only grimaced, eyes wavering slightly while staring up at Sakura. Despite the pride she had taught herself to carry, she opened up to Sakura then, revealing her hidden feelings.

"I'm scared," she whispered.

She pursed her lips then, not wanting to say more. How could she anyway? She was the oddball one out here, where the three of them now had smiles on their faces the small blonde still had uncertainty in her. It made her the outcast. Sakura felt for her, but she also wanted to show the blonde that if Kankuro was willing then maybe she could learn to be open minded as well. It was then Sakura offered the young girl her hand.

"Come on," she ushered. "You and I can do something fun. I promise I won't let anything bad happen."

Perhaps Temari then believed Sakura's words, or the thought of being alone outweighed the fear of being near Gaara. For whatever reason, Temari took Sakura's hold, grimacing all the way as Sakura led her to Gaara's room. Once inside, she could see Kankuro already admiring one of the many toys Gaara had.

"This one is so new!" he exclaimed. "Where'd you get the money for it?"

Gaara shrugged, his voice still quiet while speaking.

"I just asked for it."

Gaara tilted his head after that, a thought coming to him before he asked.

"Don't you get what you ask for?"

Kankuro and Temari snorted in unison to that question.

"I wish!" Kankuro said before drawing Gaara in and asking him how to work the toy.

Meanwhile, Temari made a hiss that only Sakura heard.

"Father's favorite..."

She had heard the girl say that about Gaara once before, and the words are still as unbelieving as the first time Sakura had heard her. However, the rosette realized now why Temari spoke this. Though not the heartfelt attention that Gaara needs from his father, he nonetheless gets the attentive eye from Rasa; and why wouldn't he, Sakura thought then, for Rasa is watchful when it comes to Gaara. However, this parent's attention has been absorbed thoroughly by Gaara. Temari and Kankuro are instead hidden by the casting shadow of little brother as their father only focuses on Gaara.

It's no excuse on Rasa's part.

So, Sakura leads the girl to the other side of the room hand in hand, settling to the ground along with her and watching silently as Temari observed the room and its contents curiously.

"What would you like to play?" Sakura asked.

Temari picked up a toy next to her, examining it before shortly placing it back. The young girl shrugged then before looking back up at Sakura. It was then the rosette took a glance as well around the room. Gaara's possessions aren't exactly astonishing to Temari given her age, Sakura realized. There was no way these plastic toys would elicit any joy with the blonde.

"Do you like to color?" Sakura eventually offered.

Again the girl shrugged before answering.

"Sure."

Better than nothing Sakura decided before bringing back paper and crayons for the both of them. Temari watched with open eyes as Sakura began doodling alongside her.

"You like to color too?" she asked, astonished the older woman would do something so childish.

"Of course," Sakura smiled, staring down at her drawing still. "'It's a very calming thing to do. It relieves stress."

Temari blinked at her for some time before an amused chuckle left her. They colored together for some time in silence, listening to Kankuro and Gaara still occupy themselves. At times, Sakura would watch as Temari would lift her head and eyes from her drawing and stare at the two boys in wonder. The third time she did this, Sakura questioned her.

"Would you rather play with them?"

Temari had jumped lightly being caught staring, but quickly shook her head as she turned back to Sakura.

"I just remembered that Kankuro doesn't have his face painted," Temari whispered, hoping her words would not reach Gaara.

Sakura then looked up as well to the small boy, as expected his face was clean of any purple.

"Should we tell him?" Temari asked, a little anxiety in her eyes now.

"Why? There's no reason to."

Temari frowned hard, staring at her drawing. She began tracing her hand through her sloppy pony-tail.

"I don't want Gaara to kill Kankuro."

Sakura blinked at Temari, staring hard at her while taking in her words. She remembered Shiori's warning, how Kankuro and Temari had to hide their resembling appearances to those Gaara disliked. Yet, turning back to the two boys, Sakura couldn't help but smile at Gaara's own soft smile as he continued playing with his brother.

"Gaara will never hurt you," Sakura murmured, locking her eyes with Temari.

The girl looked taken aback to those words, and why wouldn't she? The world that she knew had taught her that Gaara would do the very opposite of what Sakura was saying. For the rosette however, who was well aware of their strong bond in the future, Sakura had absolutely zero doubts in scoring a promise with the girl in front of her now.

"I promise you," Sakura continued. "Gaara will never do anything to hurt you, or Kankuro. Never."

Her words echoed in the young girl's ears, making Temari stare long still with widening eyes. Yet, she said nothing before grimacing and staring hard towards the floor.

"Even if your father tells you otherwise. Even if your mother is gone because of him. You have to remember that Gaara is still your brother," Sakura quietly speaks, still coloring the paper under her. "One day it will only be the three of you to rely on each other. You willneed Gaara."

Sakura brought her head up then, smiling softly at the girl.

"And Gaara will need his sister."

The girl still kept her eyes away, and said nothing to Sakura's words. Though, it did not deter the rosette in the slightest. Even if it wasn't tonight, their relationship would eventually change in the years. Sakura actually even smirked to herself at the thought of planting these feelings so early on. She had to believe her efforts would not be in vain. Even Kankuro playing with Gaara now was something that occurred because of her words, and it made Sakura feel slightly proud for doing so.

"Sakura?" Temari eventually called.

The rosette lifted her eyes, staring at the little girl who eyed Kankuro and Gaara deeply. Though her face was stoic, Sakura could see the blonde's eyes flinch slightly upon hearing Gaara's soft chuckle. To her pocket did Temari's hand suddenly go, giving the contents inside it a soft squeeze.

"Do you think Father lies?"

The young girl kept her face steady, still staring at her brothers while waiting on Sakura's answer. For the young woman, she studied Temari for some time, trying to analyze what answer or terms Temari was trying to suddenly come to. Sakura eventually sighed, sitting herself upright while thinking hard on the question. Something about Rasa unnerved her, and though she did find his warnings about Gaara exaggerated, he certainly hadn't lied to her about the dangers the boy could bring. When Rasa had told her that Gaara killed she hadn't doubted him for a second knowing about Gaara's destruction prior. The only unbelieving thing she questioned was Rasa's confession that Gaara's mother held no attachment to the boy. She couldn't say without certain whether Rasa lied or not, but she did believe he scared his children and painted Gaara in a different light than the boy deserved. Rasa had taken away something very precious to Gaara, his siblings.

Sakura winced her eyes in thought. The little girl waited on her, and while Sakura was hostile towards the man Temari asked about, he was nonetheless Temari's father. Certainly no little girl wanted to hear that their father lied, or was a bad man.

"Why do you ask?" Sakura instead questioned.

Temari frowned hard again towards the floor, silent. She squeezed her pocket one more time before lifting her eyes towards Sakura.

"He told us Mother hated Gaara," Temari confessed.

Sakura felt her heart sink to that confession before a hateful rage began burning in her stomach. She didn't understand the least bit why Rasa said such hurtful things towards his children. It was no wonder why the small girl in front of her despised her youngest brother. She had been the only one to know of her mother, to form the strongest bond with Karura. It came to no surprise then that Temari wanted to share the hostility towards Gaara she assumed her own mother to have had. Whether those words Rasa spoke were true or not, Sakura was mortified knowing Rasa had told Temari, and Kankuro, such a thing.

Why was this father so bent on planting seeds of hate for his own son? What did he wish to accomplish by outcaste his own son from his siblings? If there was a monster within Gaara's own heart, surely it came from Rasa's poisonous words than it did Karura's curse.

Sakura sighed at Temari's downcast eyes. The young girl was expecting an answer, yet Sakura wasn't sure what to say. She looked back the small redheaded boy, and watched him zoom his toys in the air along with Kankuro.

"I think..." Sakura began speaking, trying to find the words she wanted to say from the heart.

Somehow, watching Gaara's smile was able to help Sakura find those words words.

"I think," she repeated, "that no one should be your better judgment."

Temari looked back up to Sakura then, baffled slightly by her words. Feeling her gaze, Sakura returned her look.

"You should talk to your brother. Spend time with him like Kankuro is now. See for yourself whether he is the bad guy, or not. Then you can decide how you feel about your father's words."

Temari grimaced her head this time turning to study Gaara.

"Having another brother isn't that bad of an idea, right?" Sakura quipped lightly.

Despite her words, Temari wrinkled her nose while turning back to Sakura.

"Just as long as he isn't dirty like Kankuro. Boys always stink after training."

Sakura couldn't help but laugh to Temari's words, and the girl in turn chuckled lightly. Eventually, as the laughter died, Sakura smiled at Temari, glad to see the young girl opening up to her advice. Though, she couldn't help but wonder where her random question had been earthed from.

"Temari, why do you ask that about your father?"

The blonde's face was back down on her drawing, and she even scribbled some as her frown reappeared.

"He tells us Mother hated Gaara," Temari repeats.

Temari fell silent after that, and Sakura could only sit and watch while trying to process the young girl's words. Was there a hidden message she was missing, Sakura wondered. No, that couldn't be right. Temari is still young, she doesn't speak in riddles. Yet, as the rosette is processing this, Temari slowly put her crayon down back onto the floor before reaching into her pocket. She eyed Gaara and Kankuro momentarily while pulling out a folded piece of paper, but her gaze ultimately returned to the floor as she handed off the square to Sakura.

"What's this?" Sakura asked as she nabbed the piece of paper.

"Mother's song," Temari whispered.

Sakura's hands froze for a moment in amidst of unfolding the paper, and her eyes slowly went back to the small child. Temari still has her eyes downcast, frown heavy. Sakura isn't sure what to say, or how to perceive what Temari just handed her. She remembers this paper, she had helped the girl to find it, but thought nothing more on it. She isn't sure what to expect, but soon enough she moved once more.

Sakura's eyes narrowed at the faded writing. Reading the first few sentences, she at first thought this nothing more than a poem. Yet, soon enough, she recognized the odd symbols above each word. They are music notes. The paper is as literal as Temari calls it. It's a small song written by-

"Karura," Sakura whispers, eyeing her signature.

The paper is titled, and it is exactly as Temari called it.

"Mother's Song."

Sakura eyed the words. Four short paragraphs but immediately, as the rosette began reading the first, she knew it was about Temari. Its words saying how Karura can see herself in Temari's eyes. How she loves the way her little girl calls for her every morning.

"Mama, Mama, I'm hungry," Sakura whispers some of the words.

Yet, her voice makes the girl in front of her flinch for a moment, and downcast eyes soon slide up to watch Sakura continue reading. Karura has written to Temari not to cry while hugging her knees, and that Mama will listen to everything she says. That she will forever be her best friend.

Sakura can't help but smile to the lighthearted words. It is no wonder Temari had been so desperate finding the paper. It was her Mother's words, probably one of the few things Temari had only left to grasp onto what was her mother's. Why had Rasa hidden it away, Sakura wondered. Yet, the thought is forgotten as she begins reading the next paragraph. Her smile soon turns to a grin as she realizes these next words are meant for Kankuro.

Karura has written how beautiful her new baby is. With such thick brown hair already, she comments how handsome he will be for he resembles his father so much. The way his face glows as he laughs is the brightest thing she has ever seen. She goes on to say how she hopes he will watch over his sister. Finishing his paragraph, Sakura looks back up at Temari with a smile.

"This is a beautiful song. Your mother loved you dearly."

Temari's face lit up to Sakura's words, and she sheepishly smiled.

"Can you sing this?" Sakura asked, shuffling the paper slightly in her hands.

Temari's smile fell then, shaking her head. She exasperated, lifting her eyes above her.

"I'm trying really hard to remember," Temari admitted, "but it's been so long. Mother use to sing this to us before bedtime, and she would play piano."

Sakura looked back at the musical notes. Though her musical lessons were long gone from her academy days, Sakura is able to make out three distinct notes that seem to carry throughout the majority of the song. The longer she studied it, the more she figured out in her mind how Karura's words were sung through the notes. Though there were two paragraphs still left to be read, Sakura lifted her head slightly towards Temari and puckered her own lips. She whistled the three long notes. Their pitch rose, they harmonized easily, and Sakura knew she had whistled the tune correctly when Temari's eyes widened and jaw dropped. The color in her face even drained, and she was speechless as Sakura repeated the notes over and over, a smile threatening to break her perked lips. Somehow, though she knew it was her first time hearing this song, Sakura felt as though she had heard this tune before.

"That's..."

Sakura stopped as soon as she Kankuro spoke. Turning to face him and Gaara, Sakura could see his face suddenly match his sister's. He recognized the notes too, and it hits Sakura then why the song sounds familiar. She remembered Kankuro's soft humming from before, claiming he could hear his mother singing to him in his dreams. It seems as though his dreams were not as far fabricated from the truth, his mother's act remained still within his mind. He let the toy in his hand slide out of his grasp before rushing over to Sakura's side,and bounced lightly while trying to read the paper in her hands.

"It's the same!" he kept exclaiming. "From my dreams!"

Temari also stood and rushed to Sakura's other shoulder

"Can you sing it, Sakura?" she asked excitedly. "Can you play it on the piano like Mother use to?!"

"Eh?" Sakura drawled. "I can't sing or play piano. I can read it if you want, and maybe you two hum like you remember it."

Sakura repeated the two paragraphs over and over. Kankuro and Temari did as she had said. They attempted to hum the three notes along with Sakura's speech. When one of them messed up, Sakura went back to the beginning in another attempt to perfect it. The three were so wrapped up with the song, Sakura especially as she aimed to please the two older siblings, that they paid no attention to the small, redheaded boy who stood back and watched them.

At first, Gaara simply picked back up the toy Kankuro dropped before inspecting it for any damage. After that, he watched silently, patiently, as Sakura spoke and his siblings hummed. There is a tightening in his chest when he realized how isolated he is from the three now. The rosette repeated the lyrics enough for Gaara to learn who it is the song was for, and where it stemmed from. He was not surprised that a mention of him was not heard, the thought of his being comes to no one's mind but his own. Still, there is a bit of jealousy in him watching the three entertain one another while casting him off to the side. He should be use to it, he reminds himself. This shouldn't affect him like it is, he tells himself.

...But Kankuro was so attentive and interested with playing with him and talking to him, that it's painful to think the brunette had left his side in a rush at the mention of a mother who held nothing in her heart for him. Even worse, the rosette who claimed to stand by his side through and through takes no notice of his distress. Gaara bit the inside of his lip lightly then, trying to remind himself not to let that jealousy morph into anger.

He had promised _her_.

Still, the longer they ignore him, the more the time is given for that jealousy to transform. It doesn't turn into anger, or hate, like it may have in the past. No, as he listens to his mother's lyrics, taking in such warm, loving words and passion she felt for Temari and Kankuro, it is pain and sadness that enters his heart. Questions of why them and not him, come to mind. There is doubt again in his mind about his reason to exist, and an incapability to adapt into this world presents itself again. He looks up towards Sakura, pursing his lips back when she still ignores his distress. As his insecurity grows, he remembers Sakura's promise again. He does not want to lose himself again, and he does something he thought he may never do with anyone after his uncle.

He goes to her.

By the time he reached her, her eyes still didn't fall to his. He did not call for her attention, he did not want to see her ignore he feeble voice anyway, that thought alone is painful. Instead, he came next to her arm, resting his head against her shoulder. Instead of pain and sadness, he tries to focus in on Sakura's warm, calming feel.

Sakura stopped reading immediately at the feel of the child next to her. Kankuro and Temari too grew quiet, watching their brother instead. At the sight of Gaara's limp head against her, Sakura realized the redheaded boy's affliction. Caught up in the moment to please his brother and sister, Sakura had forgotten about the child who needed her recognition the most.

"Gaara," Sakura whispered before handing Temari the paper back behind her.

Sakura freed her hands from anything before wrapping them under Gaara's shoulders. She lifted him up slightly before settling him into her lap. She cradled him before wrapping her arms tightly around him.

"I'm sorry," she whispered softly into him. "I didn't forget about you. You know I never would."

Gaara didn't reply, but Sakura knew she was forgiven when he wrapped his arms around her neck, doing his best to tighten the embrace. Temari, and Kankuro, stepped back to watch the scene. They were somewhat in awe, never to believe anyone could be so affectionate with their little brother. Even more, they watched in envy at the embrace.

Kankuro cannot remember ever being held so lovingly.

Temari can barely recall her mother's strong hug.

For the first time ever they think Gaara lucky. Lucky to have Sakura. Lucky to be held and supported like that.

As time dragged on, it was Temari who stared at her youngest brother with conflicting thoughts. Everything she had been taught, seen, told about Gaara she now questioned in her mind. It's not because of Sakura that she now has doubts for what her father had warned her about; after all, Yashamaru had held Gaara the same way as Sakura does now, and his outcome with Gaara had been a deadly one. Still, Sakura does the same and live on. Kankuro today is unharmed, her as well. It adds to the doubts in her mind that all started with that old paper in her hands.

"Sakura," Temari eventually called.

The rosette picked up her head, breaking Gaara's hold. She cradled him still though, staring out in front of her as she replied.

"What is it?"

Her voice was soft, calming. It put all three children at ease. Sakura nudged her head slightly back when Temari stepped forward to offer up the paper once more.

"You didn't finish the song," Temari remarked, her voice as stoic now as Gaara's mostly is.

Sakura stared at the paper before staring back down at Gaara. With his head resting against her, he gazed passively out in front of him, at nothing. He lost himself in thought, Sakura knows. It was one of the few times he had heard the words of his mother, his first being what Yashamaru revealed to him the night he died.

They were painful, lonely words that only swallowed the child deeper into a dark abyss of solitude, and hate.

These words are quite opposite of how Karura apparently felt for her other two children. Sakura now reads of the love and adoration she held for Temari and Kankuro. It's a hard thought to process knowing she embraced two of her children and cast out the other with disdain. It brings pain to Sakura's heart, and while the boy under her is quiet, she knows he is probably conflicted and confused with his mother's song. Sakura certainly has many whys in her mind, no doubt Gaara does too.

_Why did she love them, and not me?_

Though a spark of interest in her has been ignited for the song, Sakura thinks to continue on with Gaara to hear would be cruel to the boy.

"Not now," Sakura said and smiled gently towards Temari. "I think it would be best to put it away for now."

"Why?" Kankuro asked, his voice soft as well.

Perhaps it is because of Gaara's current state, but the two children are mindful now not to whine or speak loudly. The brunette is simply generally confused. To his question, Sakura sighed softly while shaking her head slowly.

"We should do something that includes Gaara as well," Sakura suggested. "So he doesn't feel left out."

She looked back at Gaara then, nudging him slightly in her arms.

"Right?" she asked.

Gaara was quiet though as he continued to stare out in front of him.

"Gaara can hum with us," Kankuro added, picking his head over Sakura's shoulder to look down at Gaara. "If you want I can teach you how to hum."

Still, the boy said nothing.

"It's not that," Sakura smiled at Kankuro, grateful for his attempt to include his brother.

"Then what is it?" Kankuro asked.

Sakura sighed with a smile again, looking back up at Kankuro with a soft gaze.

"It is a song about you two, not him. I'm sure he would be more interested if your mother wrote about him as well, but we should be mindful of his feelings for now."

Kankuro pouted lightly to Sakura's words, but the rosette is happy to see the boy nod in understanding before the room falls silent again. Kankuro simply stepped back, waiting. Gaara was still lost in his own thoughts, waiting. Sakura looked down at Gaara, waiting. They are hoping for that cheerful mood to return.

Temari stared down at her youngest brother too, deep in thought like he was. In her small hands was the paper, and it trembled slightly. She is uncertain what to say next, for she has a knowledge that threatens to change all the lives in the room tonight. It plagued her thoughts as well like it had been since she first read the song.

Who is the bad guy, she is trying to figure out now. The answer had always been the same in her mind ever since she was a little girl, Gaara. Her father taught her this, her teachers taught her this, her caregivers taught her this; her uncle, through his death, taught her this. Through his actions, even Gaara has taught her this. Her mother, years after her death, teaches her otherwise.

"Gaara, Mother didn't hate you."

Her voice was stern, and it dripped with courage she never thought to have in front of Gaara.

' _Who is the bad guy?_ ' she asked herself again.

Sakura would certainly agree with their mother, Temari thinks. She can see it through the way Sakura had spoken about him, held him. Yet, as both Sakura and Kankuro slowly turn to look at her, wide-eyed and jaws hanging, she questions whether she has revealed too much.

Upon hearing Temari's declaration, Sakura had flinched before facing the girl. Where had those words come from, Sakura wondered, for Temari was one of the first to speak so ill of Gaara. She is so surprised, that her voice is lost asking Temari for an explanation. She remained so utterly shocked that she doesn't realize the boy in her arms has gripped the fabric of her shirt, clinging onto it tightly after listening to his sister.

"Temari..." Sakura eventually whispered.

She isn't quite sure what to think, or what motives the girl has. The shock factor only deepens as the blonde continued to speak.

"Mother couldn't wait to meet you," Temari said, eyes locked on the back of boy's head.

His grip tightened, shaking.

"Mother loved you."

Gaara moved then.


	25. Chapter 25

" _Mother loved you._ "

Before Temari even finished that last word, Gaara had swung himself in a flash out of Sakura's hold. Rage filled his gaze, teeth flashed, and he sneered while making an attempt at leaping towards his sister.

"Shut up with your lies!" he screamed.

Sakura caught him in an instant and, surprisingly, he didn't fight against her or attempt to wriggle free. He stilled at her own touch, but he continued to glare at his sister.

Temari took a step back, and even Kankuro bravely put himself next to her instead of behind Sakura. Still, despite their fear, the siblings do not run, and eventually Temari returned Gaara's cold gaze with serene eyes. She looked at the boy not with hate, but with apology. Something that did not go unnoticed by Gaara.

"Don't look at me like that," he hissed at her. "I don't need _you_ to feel sorry for me."

Sakura pulled Gaara closer then, wrapping arms once more around him before she brought her mouth close to his to whisper.

"Don't" she breathed into him first. "Don't let anger get the better of you. You have more control of yourself than that."

Gaara didn't turn to face the rosette, but did lift his head some in her direction before he replied.,

"She is making me angry. She is lying. She is doing it all on purpose to hurt me!"

His obfuscate words grew louder the more quickly he spoke, and Sakura could sense his anger rising.

"Don't," she whispered softly to him.

He had tugged against her, but at the feel of her tightening hold he stopped his movements once more. In the dark reaches of his mind, he still held on to the promise he had made Sakura earlier. He had told her he wouldn't hurt anyone again. Yet, at the same time, he wasn't sure whether Temari deserved that sort of mercy. Another part of his mind was whispering to him, reminding him that the girl was lying only to mock and embarrass him. Sakura then told him something that wiped away that blinding rage and dark aura in his mind.

"Temari has no reason to lie to you."

Gaara's eyes had widened then. Temari, he could believe, was out to hurt him and would hold nothing back lying to him. It wouldn't even surprise him if Kankuro, in time, would do the same. People were out there to hurt him, and they would do so in the cruelest of ways possible. He had learned that from his uncle first. Uncle hated him, Father hated him, Temari hated him, Kankuro hated him, and Mother did too. There was no way Temari could be telling him the truth.

Yet, Sakura was someone he felt he could trust now. Despite his doubts in the beginning, despite the monster in his mind reminding him how people could turn in the blink of an eye, she continued to stick by his side and call him friend. He trusted his friend, and turned to look at her with quivering eyes.

"...What?" he asked her, still unbelieving.

If what Sakura claimed was true, then was she too saying that his Mother…? He couldn't even wrap his mind at the idea. Yet, staring up at the rosette, she kept his gaze held in with solid eyes. She wouldn't show him in any doubt, but Sakura couldn't lie to herself that what Temari claimed was a little bewildering. From all Sakura had learned while staying here, well, she didn't blame Gaara for calling Temari a liar. Still, Sakura knew Temari to some level, especially her older self, and she didn't believe the young blonde made these claims just to ruse Gaara. Perhaps it was just all a misunderstanding, something Sakura could clear up.

Then again maybe, just maybe, Temari spoke the truth; that's what Sakura wanted to believe anyway. She sent Gaara a reassuring smile before dropping her head against his. There eyes did not break.

"Let's listen to what Temari has to say," Sakura spoke to Gaara. "She isn't here to upset you. She is your big sister after all."

Gaara pursed his lips then, eyes breaking to look below him. He took a moment to himself.

"Sister?" he whispered into the air.

Sakura nodded her head against him.

"That's right," she answered him. "Sister."

He was quiet again after that.

"Let's listen to her, alright?" Sakura asked him again.

Teal eyes went back to jade. Gaara stared into her eyes for a moment before nodding once against her.

"Alright," he breathed.

She smiled at him then. There had been some hesitance in his voice, but Sakura was glad to see him put up a brave front. She promised herself to be mindful of his feelings while listening to Temari before bringing her head up from him. She put the redheaded boy back onto the floor, but he chose to sit and linger by Sakura's side. He turned along with her to face his sister, and tried to keep his face from morphing when he saw fear flash across Temari's eyes once again. She was uncertain of her brother still, but her attention was stolen by Sakura then.

"Temari," she called for the girl.

Yet, she paused as Temari looked at her. It was a little unnerving on Sakura's part learning such a thing that she wasn't sure how to appropriately ask the girl to explain herself.

"How do you know that?" was what Sakura eventually settled on.

Even though it was only her speaking, she could feel Gaara scoot closer to her body. Maybe he doubted his control at the moment, and Sakura was sure his heart was beginning to race like hers was. He wasn't sure what to expect or what he wanted to hear. Hope, doubt, confusion, he wasn't sure what feeling to settle on.

Sakura, too, held on to a hope that Temari's claim was true, but also braced herself for a letdown. They watched together as the girl looked back down at the paper in her hand, and Sakura's eyes widened then.

' _There was more to the song!_ ' she remembered.

Before Sakura could even ask, Temari offered the paper to her. She had a soft smile on her young face, and as she stepped forward, she met eyes with Gaara.

"Mother wrote about you too," she told him.

Gaara said nothing, despite his racing heart and swimming mind, he kept his apathetic facade. Nothing good had ever come his way, certainly that didn't change now. He wouldn't show those around him he had let their words rise his hopes up.

As she reached for the paper, Sakura's first thought was, how? How had Karura written about Gaara when her life ended as his began? With slightly shaking fingers, Sakura took back the paper. Her eyes fell to the next lines of the song she hadn't read, but didn't focus on any of the words yet. Instead, she looked back down at the boy next to her. His eyes and head were already up and looking at her. The quiet, moody child, clutched his hands hard against his knees, and he did well to hide his trembling.

She offered him a smile.

"Whatever we read, whatever your mother wrote, I just want you to know how I feel about you."

Gaara's eyes flashed for a moment, but he kept his stoic gaze as he asked,

"Which is?"

Sakura smirked then, remembering how cautious he was trying to interpret the meaning of her words. This moment was no different.

"How proud I will always be of you, Gaara," Sakura whispered.

Lambent eyes stared back at her then, and eventually, a small smile found him as well. She could even see his cheeks turn a shade of pink. Before, he could shy away, Sakura spoke again.

"Do you want to read what your mother wrote?" she asked. "Would you prefer that I read it first?"

Gaara paused for a moment, he took her question into deep consideration. As anxious as he now was, he tried to analyze what was the best decision to go about this. He decided to rely a little on Sakura's strength then, for he wasn't blind enough to not realize the outcome could possibly break his mind.

"Will you read it me… please?" he asked in a fading voice.

She nodded, sending him one last reassuring smile before glancing back at the paper.

"To my unseen child, may we meet soon," Sakura whispered the words written on the paper and smiled as her questions were beginning to be answered.

The rosette turned back to Gaara, not surprised his eyes had widened to just that sentence.

"She was writing to you while you were still inside of her," Sakura grinned. "Now it makes sense! Your mother wanted to meet you."

"Mama use to let me touch her belly. She told us we would be getting a sibling soon," Temari spoke and turned to her brother. "Do you remember, Kankuro?"

Kankuro hummed slightly in thought.

"I think so," he mumbled.

Despite their words, Gaara's attention was still focused on the paper.

"That's all it says?" he asked with a little disappointment in his voice.

Sakura shook her head, glancing back a the few sentences.

"To my unseen child," she repeated, "may we meet soon. Will you look like like your father, or like me? I wonder these things as I stroke my swollen belly."

Sakura continued to read for some time. Karura mentioned how she would always watch over her new child once they came; that they could always turn to her for guidance in this new world, and that she would protect her child, and love them, no matter what. She would forever love all three of them.

The last few lines was Karura telling them to run through the sand, to count the clouds in the sky, and to play together in the rain. To be free and happy as any other child. She wrote how this big world is just for them, and that she would be the one to make sure they see every last bit of it. She went on to write that once they grew and decided to leave that she would see them off with a smile, a tear in her eye, and heart full of love. Even if she couldn't see them, or if they couldn't see her, her love for them would never disappear. Even if she would be lonely once they go, she wanted them to take those steps. It continued to mention for them to be kind to others before ending the song with-

"Please, live your lives strong, proud, kind, and full of love."

Sakura stared at the paper silently long even after she finished it. Her mind began blooming with so many thoughts and questions then. Were these words true, she wondered. They had to be, Temari and Kankuro remembered her so fondly, and the sincerity of the song just seemed so real. The message is as clear as day in this song. Karura's love for Gaara began before he was even born. Then again, did this mother's love for Gaara shatter the moment he was born, or was it that someone had…

Sakura looked up at Temari whose eyes and frown were set on her as well. She remembered the little girl's question then.

" _Do you think Father lies?_ "

' _Had he?_ ' Sakura wondered. ' _Did he, and others, morph Gaara's mind into thinking that not even the woman who had carried him wanted him?_ '

She couldn't linger on that thought for long. A whimper next to her caught her attention, and she looked down at the redheaded boy and watched him bite his lips and pick his head high in a desperate attempt to hold back his tears. If he couldn't fight it, today would be the second time he cried; already more times than Sakura had ever seen Gaara do. No doubt he tried to keep his careless facade around his siblings. No doubt he did not want to spill tears over something he could ultimately later learn was a lie.

Yet, hearing his mother's song has given him such raw, deep emotion, that the second Sakura settled a comforting hand on top of his shoulder, he cried out loudly as hot tears poured down his face. He hung his head low, despite all eyes on him, and wailed loudly. Sakura was silent, coaxing him gently and rubbing his shoulder. Within time, she could hear sniffles in front of her, and she smiled as she watched both Kankuro and Temari vigorously wiping away what seldom tears came from them.

"I'm sorry, Gaara," Temari tried to whisper through her shaking voice. "I'm sorry about everything. I didn't realize… I didn't know… They told us that she… But Mother… She _did_ love you."

Her broken words were an attempt at comfort, but the boy's wails only grew louder from her apology. Sakura grew worried for the redhead when minutes ticked by and his crying did not tire or falter. She knew this revelation would be painfully heartwarming for Gaara, but she also guessed he was confused and conflicted to this given situation. He was probably at a loss at the moment.

Who told the truth, and who had lied. Who cared for his sake, and who had forsaken him. Who could he trust to protect him, and who would stab a dagger in his back. No doubt this was the principal thought Gaara had to live with now. Perhaps it had been easier for him to rule out the world as his enemy. To stand on guard against everyone was much more simple than deciphering who talked to him without any ill intent.

Surprisingly, through his wincing eyes and gritting teeth, he looked towards Temari for reassurance. Maybe it was because she knew of Karura the longest of the three, or maybe it was because she brought this information to him, whatever reason, he did his best to ask her with his trembling voice,

"Did Mother really love me?"

He pursed his quivering lips, trying hard to hold back tears that still threatened to fall. A part of him expected her to remain quiet, or maybe even admit this was all some horrible lie. The one man who had cared for him for the majority of his life had just revealed to him how much he despised Gaara, as well as how Karura did not care for him or his birth. The thought so fresh in his mind, he did not expect a stranger like Temari to ever tell him anything other than what his uncle had revealed. What he did not expect was her next act.

Even Sakura was caught off-guard as the blonde marched her way quickly in front of Gaara. The redhead didn't even have time to look up at her before she ungraciously dropped to her knees in front of Gaara. There, she reached for Gaara and pulled him into a tight embrace. Tears stained her eyes as well as she held onto Gaara.

"Let's live our lives just like Mother wanted," Temari whispered to Gaara. "Together!"

Where the girl feared being in Gaara's presence not too long ago, she now embraced her brother in much heartfelt. Even Gaara had tensed to her hold with trembling wide eyes. She had ceased his tears while his mind tried to wrap around what her action meant. Throughout the years of his life, Temari would become the third person to hold him so fondly and without apprehension. She did this on her own accord. For Gaara, he soon began to realize her good intentions, and remembered that being held like this was a loving act. It wasn't fair that he could count on just one hand how many people held him so lovingly like this.

For the first time, he recognized her as a sister.

Gaara's hands wrapped gently around her, burying his returning tears into her shoulder.

At the moment, Kankuro too made his way over. He was silent as he sat behind Gaara before his arms embraced the redhead too. He said nothing as him and Temari held onto Gaara, sandwiching him in between them. Sakura meanwhile watched on silently, she too felt tears stinging to escape at the sight.

Broken apart by their father, these siblings were able to find each other through their mother.

' _A mother's love can be an amazing thing,_ ' Sakura told herself.

Sakura glanced once again at the three children, letting one tear fall at another thought.

' _Siblings too,_ ' she admitted.

And while the rosette had no blood siblings to call her own, her thoughts did fall on Naruto at that moment. If there was ever someone she would call brother, it would be Naruto. To the thought of the blonde now, and with the hugging children in front of her cradling Gaara as he cried, Sakura realized she would probably begin bawling herself if she didn't break away to recollect herself. So, she stood, glad to see the three paid her no mind as she slowly made her way out of the room. She gently closed the door behind her before leaning against the wood.

She sighed before drawing in some deep breaths in. Eventually, her hot tears dried up, and a small smile found her as she leaned her head up against the door. Her smile grew when she realized it was Naruto still on her mind.

' _Naruto,_ ' she thought to herself. ' _I_ _guess I do have some_ _power to change hearts like you can._ '

Her smile grew as she thought about the children behind the door. She wondered if they ever held onto one another for support like they were now. Surely she had help put a little change in them that would help Gaara much sooner, than later, find his kind heart. Sakura lowered her smile towards the ground. No matter how many close calls of death she had, the one that suddenly stuck to her mind was the one where Gaara had pinned her with his sand against the tree. If not for Naruto, than she wouldn't be here now, helping that very same bad guy realize his potential early on.

"Thank you," she whispered to her old friend. "For everything."

Somehow, wherever she was now, she hoped her feelings would find a way to him. She hoped somehow that Naruto could feel her appreciation.

' _Once I get back home, perhaps I should treat him_ _to ramen_ _… Just this once,_ ' she thought to herself with a small giggle.

Sakura's eyes widened when she suddenly heard a faint closing of a door. With the children still inside Gaara's room, the rosette wondered who it was that came into the quiet home. Perhaps Baki had had finally come for the older siblings, and Sakura was quick making her way down the stairs to speak with the young man. Yet, she wasn't sure what should come first. An apology perhaps, that she hadn't been able to stop Gaara or save Annaisha. Condolences maybe, even though neither had told Sakura about their relationship. Questions, for she still wondered if Annaisha had decided to attack on her own accord. Sakura hadn't forgotten the slipping words from the brunette's dying breath.

" _He_ said…"

' _Who was this he?_ ' Sakura wondered. ' _Had an attack on Gaara been planned?_ '

The little boy certainly had more enemies than friends. That revelation, if she found it true, wouldn't shock her, yet she would do her best to put an end to it. The boy didn't need anything more traumatizing in his life. The Ichibi's constant dark presence, and Gaara's solitude, were far too much already. Sakura had these thoughts and hurried down the stairs, yet she stopped frozen and surprised to find the current Kazekage instead. He peered into the kitchen, searching, before he took notice of Sakura's presence.

Rasa was silent staring at Sakura, face stoic. Sakura meanwhile began to fume to the sight of him, and Temari's question rang again in her mind.

" _Do you think Father lies?_ "

While in her thoughts it's Rasa's assured words that he can tire Gaara out from lashing out the day before that come to mind, a lie; it is an even bigger fabricated story the man has spewed for many years that has her drawing towards him dangerously.

"You," she seethed before racing towards him faster.

There is a burning in her heart and mind that made her approach him threateningly, and Rasa sneered as soon as he recognized her motive.

' _Yes, Temari,_ ' somewhere deep Sakura manages to think. ' _He does._ '

Rasa was able to dodge Sakura's bone-crushing fist as she screamed at him.

"You lied to _him_!"

Every punch she aimed at him is filled with an intent to smash this cruel man's face in, yet her rouse seems not to affect him. He is passive dodging every aim of her's without fighting back, and it irks the rosette all the more.

"Cease at once," he told her time to time.

She didn't listen.

"You lied to _me_!" Sakura continued to scream at him. "You're just a rotten liar!"

She didn't notice the hot tears in her eyes. She was too blind to see that emotions have gotten the better of her, and she became sloppy after each attempt at striking the man. Yet, she does not stop, she refused to. She wanted to cause the man twice as much pain as he had caused his son. Though, deep down, she knew a blow to the face would be barely considered a fraction of the hurt Gaara has endured for so long from Rasa.

"Sakura," Rasa continued. "Stop. We need to discuss what has happened last night."

Gaara and Annaisha's clash doesn't even come to her mind despite Rasa's words. It was still focused sorely on the little piece of paper that revealed so much to her.

Mother's song.

"Bastard!" Sakura cried instead, aiming still. "You lied to your children! Lied to everyone about him!"

These words caused Rasa's passive grimace to let up, and he opened his eyes wide. He knew nothing of what she spoke, yet a ringing guilt suddenly weighed his heart heavy. It should be impossible for her to know his secrets, yet Sakura is someone who came to him spewing knowledge about Gaara. He still thought it unfeasible for her to know all of Gaara, but her declaration then mmade him falter for a moment, and that is all Sakura needed to land a hit against his face.

"You lied to Gaara!" she cried as her fist collided with his jaw.

She hadn't poured even an ounce of her strength into the hit, but her rawness alone sent Rasa back some and he skidded across the marble floor before crashing into the wall that stops his collision. Sakura rounded on him, watched as he spat the blood in his mouth and massaged his jaw some before menacing eyes looked back up at her. Sakura admits then that Kankuro's appearance to his father is uncanny, and that she can even see some physical traits in Temari's face that she shares with Rasa. Yet, It is only now does Sakura see something Gaara and Rasa share as father and son; The emotions they try to hide behind their eyes.

Once upon a time, Sakura would tell you Gaara hid his feelings well behind glazed eyes and a passive frown. She had been looked by Gaara the same way Rasa looked at her. Not until she spent time with the small, hurting boy did she learn to look deeper into his staring glance, and inside his sea of teal did the young woman finally see so much pain and happiness the boy could feel. Only now does Sakura finally learn that, through time with Gaara and learning about him, can she now understand what Rasa hides behind his brown-eyed gaze.

Through his rage, she can see a hint of guilt. It made Sakura wonder if it had always been there and that she had just been blind to notice it before, but his look is enough to bring her fist down from striking him more. Though she matches with his challenging eyes, and still speaks with venom in her voice.

" _She_ loved Gaara."

Rasa's eyes go round, and even a small inward breath is heard coming from him. He doesn't need to be told any more from her, or anyone else, to know Sakura speaks about Karura's true feelings towards Gaara. To that realization, the strong man under Sakura, the one this village calls leader, lowers his eyes and head down in what appears to be shame and guilt. It is a silent admittance on his part, and one that makes Sakura fists tremble once again.

If there was any doubt in the paper before, there is absolutely none now.

"Why?" Sakura whispered with a hiss.

The word why seems to be the most common word Sakura says to the older man; and her questions that come seem to revolve all around the redheaded boy. Why does this father continue to hurt Gaara so, never allow him any peace, as he strives for the basic of emotional needs and guidance a child looks for? Out of anyone there, Rasa was suppose to be the father for his children.

"Why did you keep this from him?"

Rasa looked back up at Sakura, frown heavy still as his eyes took in the small tears Sakura had in her eyes. He was quiet to her question until Sakura asks another.

"Why do you continue to hurt your son?"

Sakura watched through blurry vision as Rasa opened his mouth. For her, as she read his lips, she thought she had just seen him confess to her that he does this because Gaara took away the woman he loved. What she actually heard is completely different.

"To understand his worth in this village," Rasa explained quietly. "To understand his emotional, and psychological control in even the worst situations. For _my_ village."

And what could be worst than telling a lonely child that the woman who brought him into such a hateful world held no attachment towards him? That the only time Karura had left with Gaara was placing a name for a demon to curse the village. It was beyond cruel in Sakura's eyes.

"I needed to know that Gaara would be capable controlling the Ichibi," Rasa continued before he shifted in his spot. "I needed to know my village would be safe from my own son."

There was a long pause after his words. Sakura said nothing staring down still at the fallen man, and Rasa had pursed his lips in deep thought before looking back up at Sakura.

"Now I know," his voice waned.

Sakura gritted her teeth and clenched her fists again after Rasa's saying. For Sakura, who knew the outcome Gaara could have if shown the right path, was angered to watch Gaara's very own father doubt his son.

"People change. People learn through their mistakes," Sakura said. "I'm teaching him that now. If anything though, Gaara should be learning this from _you_ , his father."

Rasa's head fell then again.

"I just can't understand you. As a parent, how is it you cannot understand that Gaara's control and emotions stem from what you teach him? Did it not occur to you that you could teach him yourself how to control and overcome emotions?"

Sakura sighed, trying to tell her body to relax as the need to fight was still instilled in her.

"Your lies and neglect created the monster your village now fears."

After her words she waited for Rasa to speak up. She even expected the man to perhaps counter her with his own words like he had always done before. Instead, he was still and quiet, and Sakura shook her head at him.

"I didn't know her, but your wife sounds like she was a very loving person."

Angry eyes whipped fast towards Sakura then, a small warning, she supposed, from Rasa silently telling her to choose wisely how she spoke of his late wife. Yet, he did not deny this claim Sakura made.

"Now that Gaara knows about her love, I hope in a way it counters all the hate he has received from you," Sakura added sternly.

To add to the many surprises today, Sakura offered her hand to help the man up. He did not take her gesture, and only stared up at Sakura with a hard frown and gaze.

"People change," Sakura spoke with her offer to help him up still there. "Gaara can, and _will_ , change as he grows and learns."

Sakura blinked a few times towards Rasa, lost in thought. She tried to think of a moment that the Gaara of her time had made a mention of his father and their relationship ever bettering, but found she knew too little of the Kazekage and his past. Naruto knew most, and it pained Sakura to realize she had cared too little of the redhead before to ever ask questions or dig deeper into Gaara's past. Now that she took care of the same man, now a little boy, she wanted nothing more than do whatever she could to bring Gaara peace. This ordeal was certainly changing her perspective on Gaara.

"It's not to late..." Sakura murmured then.

Rasa's eyes narrowed some, but he was still quiet and let the rosette finish her words.

"You can change too. You can be the father Gaara has been needing all his life," Sakura said in almost a whisper.

Rasa's eyes let up some, but he still didn't take Sakura's hand.

"Your wife loved Gaara. I want to believe her husband can love Gaara the way a father should."

Sakura still gets nothing from the man.

"For your wife, for your village, and for Gaara. Do it for them."

Sakura stills herself as Rasa begins moving himself to those words. She wanted to that if he would just place his hand into her's that it would mean an agreement from him that he would try better with Gaara. Yet, instead of earning his hand or anything more, they are interrupted by a small cry.


	26. Chapter 26

"Father!"

Both adults shifted their attention to the small, blonde girl who raced to Rasa's side. She didn't embrace the man, but instead fidgeted anxiously on her feet as she glanced between the bruising on Rasa's jaw and Sakura. Temari was torn who to side with, but eventually chose her father. Though a small child, she still offered to help Rasa stand and asked what had happened.

"Quiet, Temari," Rasa eventually told her, and took none of her help standing himself back tall.

Sakura watched in disappointment as Rasa's hands found the cold floor to help bolster himself back up than accepting her offer. She wasn't sure how to interpret Rasa's feelings now. For the rosette, time would be needed to forgive what the man has done to Gaara. Rasa may also be one of the very few people Sakura will tell Gaara that it is alright to hold animosity towards unless he asks for forgiveness. She can't imagine the child excusing him so easily unless this father makes an effort to his son that expresses how sorry he is. Gaara's sad life had been molded all these years by the man who should haved watched out the most for him. This fathers's love, though seemingly non-existent, may just be the cruelest and coldest thing Sakura had ever seen.

Sakura flinched lightly when she noticed another presence around them, and she tilted her head back and towards the side to stare at Kankuro. Like his sister, he glanced between Sakura and Rasa, trying to absorb what had happened. No doubt they had heard her cries, and their fight, before racing down the stairs; and Sakura pursed her lips hoping they did not see her hit Rasa. Her goal here wasn't to humiliate Rasa in front of his children. Whatever respect and love they have for this man, Sakura does not want to tarnish it. A child needs their parent, and Temari and Kankuro hang on to whatever affection and attention he gives them by a thread. Unlike his sister though, Kankuro did not go to his father's side; he instead stood back.

As Sakura continued to stare at Kankuro, she realized with time that the last child had built up the courage to come to her side. She hadn't even noticed Gaara next to her until he clung onto her leg.

"Sakura," he murmured, trying to whisper. "Let's go back to my room."

She was surprised Gaara had drawn so near with the presence of his father so close. As she looked down at him, though, she could see his apprehension as his eyes stayed entirely on his father and his movements, and Gaara still pleaded with her to retreat along with him. Sakura realized then Gaara was trying his hardest to hold back so many emotions within him at the moment, for his sand was out and light grains were shifting around their feet.

As Rasa stood himself, it was not Sakura's eyes that he met with, but instead with the little boy's by her side. Gaara stilled himself against Sakura's leg as his eyes locked with Rasa's, and both were silent looking at one another. Even if she imagined Gaara was nothing but passive looking up at his father, the smalls grains at her feet picked at her skin a little harder then, and the grip he had on her tightened some. Sakura brought a hand down to gently caress Gaara's hair and head, but the action did not ease his tense body or break his stare. Instead, her gesture provoked Rasa.

This Kazekage appeared so lost and bewildered each time he watched Sakura's affections towards Gaara, and this time was no different as he brought his eyes back up to her. As their gazes locked, she was met with a thin line of his lips and a narrowing, angry gaze before he turned from her.

"Temari, Kankuro. Come," he ordered with no change in his voice.

He did not wait on his children, instead filing out the door with the knowledge that they would follow without question. However, both children did stand back and watch as their father strolled away outside before looking back up at Sakura. In Temari's eyes was the guilt she held even when first coming in to Gaara's room. There was dread in her wondering if their father had lied about their loving mother, and now that dread only grew after Sakura had read their mother's song. Her mind tells her that her father is a liar, yet she still wanted confirmation from Sakura, but her voice was silent and lost. She realized then how much it pained her to see Sakura and her father butt heads.

Kankuro as well stood back with this line of thought, though not as heavy as his sister's dread. He looked at Sakura a lot more differently. For him, she is like the mother he barely knew and is now the entity of their mother's love. She is guidance, reassurance, a teacher, a friend, but above that, watches them all like a mother would. It is hard to think that the love father has given them dimmed everyday by her bright guidance. He wanted to believe, had always believed until recently, that father's love was the brightest out there. It's troubling, to him, to watch the very two people who are defining the word love to his young mind clash so much so. Did Father and his real mother ever fight like this, he wonders. _Would_ they have fought like this for Gaara's sake?

Their glance towards Sakura was both apologetic and torn. Perhaps a part of them had wished Sakura would call for them to stay with her instead of following their father, but the rosette simply remained silent while staring at Rasa's disappearing figure. Eventually, the two older children turned with nothing said and followed in their father's direction.

"You'll come back and play with me soon, won't you?"

The two children froze to that question, and even Sakura was wide-eyed hearing Gaara's words. The ever silent, and solitude, boy had broken his routine and reached out to his siblings. Sakura wondered if he did this because of her teachings, because of their interactions today impacting the small boy so, or if hearing Karura's song had crumbled some of the wall around his heart. Whatever reason, even if he was latching onto Sakura still, he had made his voice loud enough to be heard, and he is finally choosing company over solitude.

It was Kankuro who turned back first, throwing Gaara a thumbs up and a giant grin before speaking,

"Of course! I'll show you some of my toys next time!"

Temari, as well, had turned, and soft eyes and a gentle smile grace her face.

"Un!" is all she said with a small nod of her head.

They waved Gaara off together, saying no more as they turned to follow Rasa outside. The remaining two were quiet, Sakura was trapped in her thoughts as she watched the two disappear. She thought of their fight, of Rasa's quiet and passive face.

" _For my village._ "

She kept on hearing his answer in her mind. She knew there was more to the answer than Rasa had let on, and the young woman's curiosity grew. Meeting Rasa with hostility, she realized now, would get her nowhere. Perhaps he would be much more honest and open-up if she could show him that he could trust her. That thought cemented more within her how much father and son were the same. Yet, the man drew anger up in Sakura. She knew, too, that she couldn't look past the lie he has put into Gaara. Hopefully, she thought then, her words have struck something within Rasa. At least a change of heart for his son.

So much had happened these past few days. Loss, secrets, hope, so much had happened that Sakura knew she would not take another step without questioning and wondering more about the world around her. Gaara, too, she knew deep within her heart, was now walking a totally different path. There is just no denying that these past events will shake and affect him differently than from the one in her time.

' _Mother's Song,_ ' Sakura thought in her mind.

Would Temari have broken into Rasa's room without her help, Sakura wondered then. In her own time, had the two older siblings managed to take hold of that paper and learned the truth, or had the idea vanished after so many failed attempts. Did Gaara learn young of his Mother's love, or had it been years later, or at all? Would Temari have built up the courage to reveal to Gaara the truth without the rosette ushering her to do so? What was going to happen now after this revelation? Would his path of leadership and kindness towards his friends and village sprout more quickly for Gaara?

"Were you two fighting?"

It's Gaara's small whisper that makes Sakura blink rapidly, and she focused her attention back onto the little boy that clung to her. He let go of her then, and stepped back as she lowered herself down to his level and smiled.

"I was just asking him some questions," she told Gaara.

He stared at Sakura, and where a passive gaze is what he usually showed her, he grimaced at her instead to her answer.

"W-What?" Sakura asked while taking in his appearance.

He knew she was shielding him with her loose explanation, and only stared at her silently in thought. He may have been young, but he was smart enough to place the pieces of the puzzle together. From Temari, and Kankuro, coming to him and sharing with him their mother's words to watching Sakura tower over his own father. As soon as he came to a concluded answer, he slid his eyes away from her.

"Nothing," he murmured.

He walked past Sakura then, but cried out somewhat as she nabbed him and pulled him in for a tight embrace.

"Nobody likes a know-it-all," Sakura laughed as he struggled against her sudden hold.

Though she had his arms pinned, Gaara was eventually able to break his head free from her grip, and drew in a breath before stilling himself in her hold. He looked back up at her, and he was met with a warm smile.

"You're far too young to act like you understand adults," Sakura jokingly added in.

She was surprised by his answer.

"I'll grow," he told her.

Simple as that. A child's answer, but so honest was it that Sakura blinked fast and was quiet. His words held much more meaning behind them; He would grow, he would learn, he would understand, one day. Sakura had always seen Gaara as an intelligent being, and small moments such as this signaled to her that that growth was already starting.

"Aa," she agreed before releasing him.

She watched him back away some, but he still stopped himself short in front of Sakura to stare up at her. Though he was quiet, Sakura could sense the boy wanted to speak and ask more. Sakura smiled more before placing a gentle finger against Gaara's cheek. No sand, no hesitance, no shifting eyes, Gaara instead stilled and was curious as Sakura's finger traced over his skin. He did wince an eye closed as the young woman pressed her finger deeper into his cheek, but he did not protest and instead listened to Sakura's laughter. Sakura eventually drew back and stifled her laughs, and Gaara took the opportunity to speak.

"Mother loved me."

It was not a question, but there was just the smallest of hint of uncertainty in his eyes. Sakura however nodded her head in agreement.

"She did. She wanted to meet you, show you the world, and protect you," Sakura added, trying to clear up his hesitance.

Yet, she is surprised when a small pout formed on Gaara and his eyes fell instead.

"She can't," he whispered. "I killed her."

It wqs not anger, or a dark hunger, Sakura saw in Gaara then but instead guilt. He now blamed himself for not having what he sought at a young age. Sakura shared his frown for some time, both silent, until she reached to cup his cheek. Gaara moved his head closer towards her hand as she touched his skin, and he met her with sad eyes as she lifted his head back up to look at her.

"Maybe you can't see her, but your mother lives in you. She is watching you," Sakura said.

Gaara's sad expression did not let up. He stared into Sakura's eyes, silently telling her that he found her words hard to believe.

"It's what mothers do," Sakura said, tilting her head some.

She was happy to see his expression lift some.

"Right here," Sakura said while releasing Gaara and prodding his chest gently. "She should be right here."

Her fingers fell back, and his own small hand clasped at the spot Sakura had mention. He gripped and released what fabric he could take while staring down at his chest. He was quiet, lost deep in thought, while also trying to feel the faintest hint of something new, something different within him. He gripped his shirt harder over time, skeptical eyes going back up towards Sakura then.

"Yashamaru said that too," Gaara murmured.

Sakura watched quietly, unsure if the boy now found her motives sadistic. Yet, before she said anything, his grip loosened and arms fell down. His teal gaze looked up, and he even managed a small smile towards the rosette.

"It doesn't hurt anymore," he said with small awe, addressing his heart.

Sakura grinned then, her eyes sly as she stole back his look.

"See?" Sakura said. "I told you mother's are amazing. Yours is no different."

"Nobody likes a know-it-all," Gaara repeated her words.

Sakura erupted in laughter.

Gaara went quiet, eyes falling while he wore a warm smile. He went back to that place in his heart that was once hurting and empty. He relished in the feel of his heart now, and listened to Sakura's chuckles. His smile grew.

Eventually, Sakura looked back down at him, happy to see his distant eyes were content. She grinned at him before puckering lips and whistling softly. Without the paper, Sakura didn't recall Karura's song word by word, but the small tune is embedded in her mind. She whistled those three notes, and it seemed Gaara, as well, had learned the melody, for wide eyes suddenly picked up towards the rosette in wonder. As soon as she nabbed his attention, she chuckled before asking him.

"What do you want to do today?"

He surprised her, for he had never asked this from her before.

"Park?"

* * *

A quick change of clothes, and a few bags later, Sakura followed Gaara out the doors of the home. She laughed as she caught sight of his toothy grin, there is new found excitement in the boy.

"What are you bringing?" Gaara asked when he spotted Sakura's bags. "Toys?"

She tensed to his question. One bag to him should be kept secret, but the other…

"Here," she said, handing one bag off to Gaara. "Carry this one for me."

He silently agreed, and cast aside etiquette to peek into the bag. His face morphed as he spotted a few scrolls and a book.

"You're not suppose to read at the park," he said. "You're suppose to play."

In Sakura's other bag, the one she held, was needles, fabric, stuffing, buttons, and more; and she shielded it from the boy. She was indecisive which of the two bags to bring along. She just couldn't find it in her heart which of her current works was top priority. Though, deep down, she knew those books Gaara now carried should always be first on her list.

"I need to work on some things," she told Gaara while beginning her steps. "Maybe I'll play after getting them done."

Her steps grew bigger, and she eventually took the lead with Gaara following behind. However, not even a minute had passed before she felt grains nab at her hand. She halted her movements then, and by the time she peered down next to her, Gaara was sliding his own hand into hers. He gazed up at her sheepishly as if trying to decipher through her look if this act was still acceptable between them.

"I caught it," Gaara whispered with a grin.

Sakura's heart nearly melted to Gaara's toothy grin, save for the missing tooth, and rosy cheeks. He looked so thrilled to have finally caught on to Sakura's hand game that the young woman did not hesitate wrapping her hand around his. She nodded to him in agreement.

"Looks like you finally did," she whispered.

She was most surprised that he was no longer hesitant, that he trustfully placed his hand into hers instead of fingers wrapping around hers. She wasn't sure where this revelation had come from for it seemed as though so much had happened since the night before, but she couldn't deny how proud she was of Gaara. How grateful she was to see his growth.

So, she led him, by hand, through the village. Her head high and smile strong as people frowned disapprovingly towards them. Even if change had happened through a small group today, the village still had fear and hostility in their hearts and minds. However, she was happy to feel the boy next to her ignore their eyes and hisses, his own mind and heart full of bliss as he relished at the feel of Sakura and the thought of his sister, brother, and mother.

He was so much at ease, that Sakura was surprised to feel him let go of her hand, hand the bag he was carrying back off to her, and race for the playground as soon as it came into sight. His laugh grew distant as he vanished farther away from Sakura.

Yet, as she drew more near, she could see that he had stopped in front of the playground, glancing back and forth between an empty swing and a group of children playing together. She had hoped, through his siblings today, that Gaara could see and understand that bringing people close to him wasn't something incapable like he once believed. She wanted him to carry his smile and laugh towards the group of kids. However, she watched instead as he made his way over to the empty swing-set. As Sakura sat herself down on a bench, she could see Gaara staring longingly at the kids as he rocked himself back and forth.

' _Perhaps he just needs to build his courage,_ ' Sakura thought.

Even if she couldn't see, she knew Gaara wanted to be a more sociable person. With the experience from his brother and sister, she knee that drive had rekindled in his heart. Yet, he still fell back choosing solitude over the pain of rejection. Still, the way he was longingly staring towards his peers, Sakura believed Gaara was battling within himself whether to remain behind or reach out to the children.

She thought this way while pulling out materials from her bag, buttons, blue fabric and stuffing. She chose this job first over the other, and she was still lost in her thoughts watching Gaara when another joined the empty seat next to her. The new person paid Sakura no mind, said nothing, but with time eyed the materials the rosette held.

"How cute!"

Sakura's eyes widened to the new voice, and she stared at the lady sitting next to her who ogled the small thing in her hand.

"It's so tiny," the lady continued to speak.

Sakura eyed it, she could admit it was no bigger than the palm of her hand.

"Aa," Sakura murmured. "I've never made one before so I wasn't sure of myself making a big one yet. This is more like practice for me."

The woman nodded enthusiastically to Sakura's every word. It wasn't even a second later that the woman began pointing towards Sakura's work and giving her own set of advice.

"Well I think you should place the stuffing here first before placing it in the ears. Also I think-"

The woman continued on, and Sakura did her best to listen. Yet, the woman's cheery tone and given advice drowned out in Sakura's mind as she recollected the last person who helped her so willingly.

' _Annaisha._ '

She had been the first to offer Sakura a helping hand with this small project. The first to tell Sakura that she thought she was watching Gaara the right way. The first to sympathize with his loneliness, and the first to offer her hand in friendship to the boy as well.

Sakura narrowed her eyes.

She had also been the first, in her eyes, to betray Gaara in a way the boy always expected of others. Gaara was wary of new people, and Sakura now understood a little more why this was. He chose solitude over rejection. Chose hate over love. Everyone was his enemy first; friend was nothing more than a cruel word in his mind. It made Sakura's blood boil to the thought of Annaisha's act. She had been so willing to open up on Gaara's behalf before trying to kill him. It made Sakura still ask many questions. The girl was so kind, did she really have nothing but hate for Gaara all along? Could she not find forgiveness for him and start anew?

Annaisha had told Sakura she did it for her mother's sake. Yet, something in the rosette still made her question if Annaisha had acted alone. Something just didn't add up in Sakura's mind. She didn't believe Annaisha would put up such a facade just to try to hurt Gaara in the end. That didn't seem like her character. She could have continued to despise Gaara from afar if her plan all along was to attack the boy. She didn't need his trust or friendship as an advantage for her ultimate goal. Even if Annaisha's death at this point could be brushed off by Sakura as something that Sakura had no control over, that this part of the past was inevitable, it made the woman think about what lay underneath Annaisha's motives, and her very own words.

" _He said you wouldn't be an issue. That your knowledge was simply medical. He said the boy would be worn out tonight..._ "

Sakura's eyes flinched and her frown hardened.

' _He,_ ' she repeated in her mind.

Who exactly was the _he_ Annaisha spoke of? Had it been the ramblings of a dying girl, or was there more to Annaisha's acts than the pain from a lost mother? Her old teacher's words rang in her head.

" _A ninja must see underneath the underneath._ "

Sakura pursed her lips. Should a complicated thought even be examined, she wondered. In her time, the definite answer would be _yes_. In this backwards world, where events such as these had happened once already, she questioned what her time should be spent on. Even if she thought this, it was the fabric she gripped in her hand now, not a book or scroll.

"His leg is a little bit longer than the other. It's an easy fix though."

Sakura jumped lightly as a hand flew past her head, pointing down to the blue thing she held. She blinked, staring up at the new lady behind her who gave her own advice. So lost in her thought, that she hadn't realized a small group had formed around her. Parents, caretakers, each had stopped to look at her small work.

"That blue is such a nice choice. It's a very calming color. We paint all are children's rooms that color," one man spoke up.

Sakura was silent as she listened to the murmurs of agreements around her. She forced an awkward smile at her surroundings, thanking everyone even if she had tuned out most of their conversation. It was the woman who had taken a seat next to her that spoke up next.

"I've never seen you around here before. Is it your first time bringing your young one here?" the woman asked.

A nervous smile escaped Sakura.

"I'm sure he's been here plenty of times. This if the first time for me though," Sakura answered before turning back to watch Gaara still sitting on the swing.

The woman nodded.

"Ah," she said. "You must be a nanny. Do tell, which one is yours then?"

Sakura turned back to see the woman's warm smile. For the rosette, she did not falter to proudly show off which child it was she was caring for. The small group of adults watched as she pointed straight ahead towards the lonesome child sitting on a swing. Silent tension hit her head on first as their eyes locked with Gaara, and not too long after did the crowd around her begin to back away and disperse. Even the lady next to her, who had complimented the size of the blue item in her hand got up and walked away without another word. They aimed to leave, but not before they called their child away to return home with them.

As the group of small children began disappearing one by one, Sakura could see Gaara's chance to interact with others his age now slipping away. Even if time would resolve this issue without her help, the young woman called out to the last of adults as they led their child away by hand.

"He-He won't hurt anybody!" Sakura shouted at them. "He's changed. He's trying to be better..."

Her voice had slowed as the adults continued to ignore her cries, and Sakura could only stand there and watch them disappear into the distance. Sakura had a heavy heart chasing everyone away that moment for Gaara's lonely sake, and could only draw herself back to her seat with the knowledge that everything would change for Gaara eventually. Despite the sadness all around them, his adulthood would morph into something great.

Sakura looked back up towards the child on the swing. He sat there still, staring towards the small group of children that was once there. In their place now was only swimming grains picked up by a small, afternoon breeze. Sakura narrowed her eyes, staring back down to work at the item in her hands.

' _He'll be Kazekage one day,'_ she told her aching heart. ' _People may not accept him now, but they will someday._ '

She looked back up at Gaara, who sat still on his swing by himself. She looked back down to her work.

' _I should be happy for him,_ ' Sakura thought. ' _Temari and Kankuro are accepting him. He learned so much today of his mother. He says he's willing to change._ '

She looked back up at Gaara, who sat still on his swing by himself. She looked back down to her work.

"But..." she murmured to herself.

She couldn't deny the ache in her heart. Something inside of her felt completely off, out of the norm. She blamed it on herself, chasing away the parents here and inadvertently their children as well. The best for Gaara was yet to come, but like any adult to their child, they simply wanted the best for them _now_.

She looked back up at Gaara, who sat still on his swing by himself. She looked back down to her work.

She wanted Gaara to be happy. She remembered feeling this same way to another; this strong emotion once before when she was a little girl. She had just wanted Sasuke to walk around the village with a smile, and was willing to offer him everything she could in her power just to know that he was living life happily. The feeling was almost mutual now for the little redhead she watched over. Even if he smiled in her direction, and she grinned back, she wanted him to grow up with many different smiles thrown in his direction. She didn't want to leave him knowing it be many more years before another would give him a caring look.

She looked back up at Gaara, who now knelt and played in the sand, next to him was another small child. She looked back down to her work.

…

Wait.

Sakura's eyes rushed back up an in instant. There was a surge of adrenaline coursing in her suddenly as she watched a little, brown haired kid peering over Gaara's shoulder. She blinked as the other child clapped and laughed as Gaara used his powers to morph the sand under him into shapes. The sight made Sakura's eyes widen and jaw drop before she managed to ask in a whisper.

"Gaara made a friend?"

On his own, none the less, her mind reminded her. Her dropped jaw morphed into a small smile then, and her eyes were stolen sorely by the two. Best of all, the unknown child lingered for minutes that turned long with no one to pry the two away, and no signs of strain from either child. Eventually, Sakura couldn't stop herself from walking over to the two to meet this new child and analyze the situation.

The kids paid no heed to Sakura's approach, Gaara continued with his sand as the other child peered over his shoulder to watch his work. As soon as Sakura was close enough, she could see and hear the child laugh and clap again. Sakura smiled with appreciation at this new little girl.

"Wow," the girl beamed. "You're really good!"

Gaara said nothing, did not even turn to look back at the girl before beginning the process again with his grains.

"What are you two doing?" Sakura asked with a smile.

Sakura watched Gaara's back, but was met with the little girl's bright eyes as she turned to look up at Sakura.

"He's making sand castles!" the girl exclaimed. "He's really cool!"

Sakura hummed while nodding in agreement before her eyes went back to Gaara. She was surprised to see the boy quiet, and he worked silently to please the little girl as she requested different shapes and sizes. Sakura eventually took a seat on the swing, watching the two with time passing quickly. The girl continued to laugh, smile, and clap to Gaara's work. Yet, the boy remained utterly silent.

' _He's shy,_ ' Sakura thought with a warm smile.

Still, Sakura liked to imagine Gaara held his emotions in check. No doubt he was ecstatic meeting a new person who was accepting of his powers instead of fearing them. Someone that was much closer to his age as well. With time, the girl took a spot next to Gaara, trying to mimic his work.

"Watch me," she told Gaara. "I'll make you some sand melonpan."

Gaara stilled his work to silently watch her do so. Meanwhile, the ache in Sakura's heart subsided for the time. Her worries for the boy seemed to vanish with this new girl. Even if it was just one, she was still a new face who laughed and smiled in Gaara's direction. The boy kept his stoic look and attitude, but Sakura believed he would return her smile eventually.

"Ma-tsu-ri!"

All three of them looked in the direction of a new voice. A distance away was a woman figure waving her hand in their direction.

"Matsuri?" Sakura repeated in wonder.

Yet, it soon became apparent to the small group what the woman called for as the small girl began jumping up and down and waving back to the figure.

"Mama!" Matsuri cried happily.

Both Sakura and Gaara were quiet watching the small girl jump up and down before she turned back towards Gaara. She grinned widely at him before speaking,

"Sorry, but I have to go now. Mama is calling me. I hope we can play again soon!"

The boy said nothing, showed no expression and simply turned back to the sand under him after she spoke. His lack of attentive did not falter the girl's smile, and she instead turned that grin towards Sakura next. Matsuri said nothing towards Sakura, just another wave of her hand goodbye before the small brunette raced back towards her mother in the distance.

Despite his silence, Gaara did look up to watch the small girl run towards her mother before they disappeared together, hand in hand. In time, he once again went to playing with the sand under him, and Sakura watched him for a bit with a smile.

"She liked you," Sakura told Gaara.

Gaara said nothing, and the rosette smirked devilishly to his quiet, shy nature.

"You got yourself a little girlfriend," Sakura murmured, placing her cheek gently in her hand. "Isn't that sweet? Maybe she will be your future wife one day. Treat her well."

Despite her jokes and teasing, the boy did nothing except pause for a moment to Sakura's words before digging in the sand once more under him. With time, Sakura began to cradle her face with both of her hands.

"I'll be so proud on your wedding day," Sakura teased again, "but also so sad. You'll hold another woman's hand then instead of mine."

Still, nothing was said from the boy, but Gaara did finally move after Sakura's words. The rosette watched curiously, hands still holding her own face, as Gaara scooped something into his own hands before turning and making his way slowly towards Sakura. He kept whatever he held encased in his hands, and brought it up towards Sakura's face as he drew near.

"What is it?" Sakura asked curiously, drawing her face more closely in.

Gaara kept his passive frown before slowly opening his hands.

"Scarpien," he finally answered.

He opened his hands fully then, revealing a self-made, sand scorpion. Sakura's face morphed then, smile falling fast. Even if the creature was Gaara's own work, not a real living thing but instead sand, her eyes widened to the sight of pincers and a tail. She shivered instantly as she watched the sand creature scuttle lightly around Gaara's palm.

"It can move?!" Sakura cried.

Before Gaara could answer, the sand creature turned towards Sakura's face. They stared eye to eye for a second before the grainy thing launched itself at her. Sakura screamed, falling off of the swing and landed onto the sand below. She realized, though, that as the sand cast itself towards her, it had puffed into a cloud of dust before disintegrating and falling back to the ground. What ended her screams was Gaara coming to her side and gently placing his hands over her mouth. At his touch, the woman looked back at the boy. His face was still passive.

"You should stop talking for awhile now," Gaara told her.

Sakura blinked rapidly, and stared long after the boy even when he pulled his hands back. It was then, Sakura realized, he had the faintest tint of pink lighting up his cheeks. Perhaps her words of marriage to the little girl had embarrassed the shy boy, and he repaid Sakura in full with scorpion fear for her teasing. As she realized this, Sakura began chuckling slightly before laughing. Next to her, the boy couldn't help himself from forming a wide grin and chuckled along with her.

"Brat," she called him before sticking her tongue at him.

And she was glad to see his smile not falter to the name. He grasped the concept of their friendship.

"Scaredy-cat," he labeled her, wrinkling his nose to mock her.

To that, they again shared a smile; Sakura's gentle while Gaara's was wide and showed off his missing tooth.

"Sakura," Gaara called to her eventually, "can we go and get some kakigori?"

Sakura realized then the promise she had made to Tsutomu, the man who ran the shaved ice stand, to bring Gaara back soon.

"Right, right," Sakura exclaimed.

She picked herself up then, dusting off the grains that lingered.

"It's been an eventful day, no better way to end it then with kakigori. Right?" Sakura asked as she turned back to Gaara.

The boy again grinned and nodded.

"Right," he exclaimed.

He was quick reaching for Sakura's hand, but the woman pulled back just as his fingers graced her skin. His eyes fell to her retreat, and the small boy even looked up questioningly at Sakura. He met with her smirk, and that smile erased any panic that may have began brewing in his heart.

"Ah?" Sakura began. "What happened? You didn't catch it."

"You pulled it away," Gaara answered back with a small pout.

Sakura simply shrugged, teasing him once again.

"I said you could hold it _only_ if you could catch it."

To her words, Gaara again reached for her hand only to watch Sakura step back away from him. Again, he looked up at the young woman.

"What?" Sakura drawled. "Don't tell me you've gotten slow."

At this moment, seeing her tricky smirk, Gaara smiled along with her. He made another attempt at her hand, only to be met with air as Sakura twirled her arms away.

"At this rate you'll never catch it again. You're just going to have go on living life without ever holding my hand again."

At this point, his race for her hand became more of a competition than his need for physical interaction. He laughed, and did his best to outsmart the girl as he continued reaching for her again, and again, and again. Eventually their little dance had drawn them away from the playground and into the village.

"Give me it," Gaara began to tell her through his smile.

To which Sakura would stick out her tongue and shake her head. Eventually the boy began using his sand, forming claws out of grains that reached for her palm as well. Those, too, were easily dodged by the rosette.

"That's cheating," she told him.

"It's not," he countered, still trying to grab her.

Sakura shrugged again.

"Who made up the rules first for this game?"

He simply laughed.

"I'll catch it!"

"I don't think you will."

Even if she laughed to that statement, Sakura suddenly froze in her spot at that instant. Even her smile had fell, and she whipped her eyes all around her. There was suddenly a threat of danger looming over her, and she quickly searched for the source.

"Got it!" Gaara cried, wrapping his hand into Sakura's, unknowingly taking advantage at her preoccupied state.

Yet, his victory was short-lived as Sakura placed him behind her and stared the danger head on as it sped towards her. It was surprisingly the assailant's own voice that shook Sakura first. It was something she hadn't heard in years, never expected to hear again, yet drove a deep, sentimental feeling to Sakura's very core.

Drawing closer to Sakura, the assailant had called out a nickname she had only heard once before.

"Namekuji-musume!"


	27. Chapter 27

Sakura could not take her eyes off of her. She stared while blinking fast, and froze in her spot looking at the lady who stopped short of her.

The old woman had ceased her charge and, like the rosette, stared hard at Sakura with a tilt of her head and a glance that was trying to place a name on the person in front of her.

' _Is it possible?_ ' Sakura thought. ' _Even if it's the past, is there a part of her that recognizes me?_ '

It certainly felt that way, and Sakura straightened herself as the woman opened her mouth to speak up.

"You-" she began, but was cut short by the call of another.

"Nee-chan!"

An older man was now racing towards them, pushing through the crowd that had stopped to watch as soon as the older woman raced towards Sakura. Some of them had moved on after the sight of Gaara, yet some of the thrill-seekers lingered in hopes of a fight.

"Nee-chan," the man said again as he came to the old woman's side, "please don't be so reckless."

The man gestured towards Sakura then.

"Take in her appearance and remember our location. There's no possible way she would locate herself here."

The older woman grimaced to her, supposed, brother's words. Her eyes fell harder towards Sakura as she scrutinized her all the more.

"I know that!" the woman spoke to defend herself from her brother's accusations. "Don't treat me as some senile, old woman."

Even if she said these words, her eyes stayed solely on Sakura, more specifically, the mark on her forehead.

Sakura realized then the connection the older woman was making with her now. Her seal resembled her teacher's own, and the rosette was well aware of the past Tsunade and this woman had. Again, the older woman opened her mouth to say something to Sakura, but stopped when her eyes fell to the little boy who peeked behind Sakura's legs.

"You!" the woman exclaimed, surprised at the sight.

She glanced back and forth between Sakura and Gaara, perhaps trying to understand the connection before her shocked features fell back to a heavy frown.

"What is Kazekage thinking?" she mumbled before turning away from the two.

Along with her followed the old man.

"Nee-chan, let's try not to make a spectacle while were here," the old man reminded her.

The old woman countered.

"I know that, I was just pretending you know."

Sakura watched them, still frozen and silent, but as the two figures passed through crowds and began to disappear in the distance, she realized how blurry her vision was getting. It would be long after the older pair was gone would Gaara dawn onto her as to why her vision was so hazy. He left her back to come to her side, wrapping his hand slowly into Sakura's own before pointing out-

"You're crying."

His voice made Sakura's mind jump, and she slowly brought her free hand up to wipe away the flowing tears.

The little boy brought his head up more to watch Sakura, tilting his head back and forth and trying to understand the problem. Before, he would blame himself for her tears, this time however he fell back to Sakura's teachings and past events.

"Do you miss your friends again?" he asked her.

Sakura forced a smile for his behalf.

"Always," she whispered to Gaara. "But these are happy tears."

"Happy tears?" he asked her, bewildered that such a term existed.

She nodded at him, wiping one last drop from her cheek. Instead of asking her to explain to him the meaning, he asked another question instead.

"Why are you happy?"

"Because I got to see an old friend again."

Gaara eyed her with confusion, but said nothing as Sakura turned her head to stare back at the sibling pair who was far gone down the street.

Even if she was now gone, even if the thought never occurred to her until now, Sakura vowed that she would eventually take up the opportunity she could here to speak to her old friend.

"Chiyo-baasama."

* * *

Days would begin passing again for Sakura in the blink of an eye. Routine fell back into place, lingering inside Gaara's room, but the previous mishaps from before seemed left in the past. Gaara behaved, he came to Sakura for answers when questions arose. He came to her for reassurance when frustration got the better of him. Best of all, for her, he came to her with more smiles on his face.

"Sing me Mother's song," Gaara would ask from time to time.

And Sakura would happily oblige, whistling the familiar tune for him. The notes would now calm Gaara down on his baddest of days, and the reminder of Karura's love would send Gaara to his most serene state. He always had a question ready for Sakura about his mother, even the repetitive ones on the daily, and she would answer as best as she could.

"Do you think Mother was nice?"

"She had to be."

"Do you think Mother would have loved me even though I have a monster in me?"

"Mothers love you no matter what."

"Do you think Mother would have let my brother and sister play with me?"

"Of course, she would have. She wanted you all to play together."

"Hey, Sakura."

"Yes, Gaara?"

"Do you think Mother was nice?"

At one point, Gaara had come to Sakura, tying his arms around her for an embrace.

"What's wrong?" Sakura had asked him, noticing his small pout.

Sakura's eyes followed Gaara's then, they both stared at the gourd in the corner of the room.

"Mother doesn't talk to me anymore."

The claim was as bewildering as the first time Sakura had heard Gaara call the inanimate object mother. Silently, she was grateful that dark voice was leaving Gaara.

"Do you want me to sing you Mother's song?"

Those words were not dark, those words truly came from Karura's heart, and those words were the only one Sakura hoped Gaara would fall back to, not the one from his dark imagination. Luckily, he would nod, troubles washing away from him as Sakura hummed the small tune.

And he wasn't the only one who came to Sakura begging her to sing. The other two siblings would sneak away when they could, leaping for the rosette as much as Gaara did.

"I brought her song," Temari always exclaimed. "You can read the lyrics!"

And Sakura would, smiling along with them as their own smiles grew. Gaara would utter no hum or word, Temari always tried to sing the lyrics while Kankuro hummed the small tune from time to time, but their eyes always lit up hearing what their mother left them and wished for them to achieve. Like Gaara, the other two children had their own questions.

"Do you think Mother is watching us now?" Temari always asked.

"She did say she would watch you always," Sakura told her, falling back to the words on the paper.

"Do you think she would be proud of me?"

"And why wouldn't she? You've achieved so much being so young."

Temari would always chuckle smugly hearing Sakura's praising answer.

The more the older children came to Gaara's room, seeking Sakura's attention while trying to comprehend and understand their little brother, a worry popped into Sakura's mind soon after. Would, no, _could_ Gaara accept them for who they were, what they had done to him in the past? The rosette had tried to explain to the redheaded boy how important the two of them were to him, and how valuable their lives would mean for him.

"Why?" Gaara always asked. "They're just like any other person."

"There is something much deeper between you three," Sakura tried to explain. "You share the same blood, the same parents. You are family. One day you will rely on their guidance, and you will work together to protect one another."

He would lift his brow bone to her words, and chew on his bottom lip while he tried to comprehend Sakura still.

"You will see what I mean when you're older," Sakura said. "You will understand how precious they are to you."

"They're still afraid..." he murmured.

"Show them there's nothing to be afraid of," Sakura replied, lifting Gaara's chin with her hand. "Be kind to them, and they will be kind to you."

He would smile to this, though confusion still riddled in his eyes. He didn't understand family and siblings, he only knew of people in the world, and the world was afraid and hated him.

"Why can't I just learn from you?" he would ask. "I don't have to learn through them. Why do they have to be so important to me? I have _you_ for that."

It was okay to have more than one important person to you, she told him. It was okay to learn the world through another persons eyes, she told him. It was okay to find guidance through his siblings, she told him. It was okay for him to turn to Kankuro and Temari one day instead of her, she told him. For she couldn't bring herself to tell him that one day she would be gone from this world. She would only be a memory one day to him, but as saddening as that thought was, no matter how her heart ached thinking of the scenario, her drive to return home never faltered.

Her only wish was that her teachings now would leave an impression in his mind. That he would let the world see more of the kindness and compassion she had seen in him. The world would recognize Gaara one day, hopefully Sakura would be able to let his ray of light shine for everyone to see now, than later. She hoped it would be his siblings next he fell to when she was gone.

She hoped.

Tried to believe.

Believed.

Gaara began to laugh along with Kankuro. They caused mischief in his room together, and showed off what little powers of their own they could. He was at first quiet to Temari's approach. The young girl tried so much harder now to understand her youngest brother, all for the sake of her mother's words.

"If Mama didn't hate him, neither will I," she declared to Sakura one day.

Yet, her approach was wary, and Gaara was always on guard of her. There was little common ground between them, except their personalities. Sakura was surprised to recognize the two more alike to one another than Kankuro to Gaara. They both had a tough exterior, and had no problem showing it off to those they felt threatened by. Deep within their hard shells, though, was a soft, gentle and kind side to them. There was a need within both of them to be accepted by those close to them, and eventually, they were able to break through each others tough shells.

Sakura had never laughed so hard seeing Temari pick up Gaara in a tight embrace and attempted to hold him for as long as he allowed. The blush on Gaara's cheeks had never glowed so brightly.

"Put me down, Temari," Gaara mumbled in protest.

"Nope!" Temari answered back. "I want to hug my baby brother."

Even if he found the gesture embarrassing, not once did he raise an arm, or use his sand, to push Temari away. He had learned to accept her, and she him.

Of course, Kankuro was the one to save Gaara from such affections.

"She always does stupid things like that," Kankuro would reassure Gaara before sticking his tongue out at Temari. "Boys don't like hugs, Temari!"

Gaara, of course, always sought Kankuro over his sister. Playing was more fun to him than hugs from his sister, but the girl simply skipped her way to Sakura instead, and the two eventually bonded in their own special way.

"Sakura," Temari asked from time to time. "Will you style my hair?"

"Will you read to me?"

"Will you draw with me?"

"Will you play with me?"

"Will you train with me?"

She had become attentive of Sakura as much as Gaara had, and unknowingly, Sakura had missed the jealous eye that watched the two of them interact together. It wouldn't be until one day, as Temari came giggling to Sakura, would the rosette understand Gaara's blooming envy. It would also dawn on her then what sort of impression she was starting to have on the children.

"I have something to tell you," Temari practically sang to her one day.

Sakura knew immediately it was about her brunette brother as soon as he reached for his sister and whined,

"Don't…Temari."

"Why not? She should know," Temari teased her brother back.

Sakura watched the two fight lightly with hands and words before she called out to them,

"Be nice to one another."

They had listened to her words and apologized, but Temari still skipped her way towards Sakura with a mischief glint in her eyes.

"Kankuro made up a name for you, Sakura," Temari began.

And again Kankuro whined in protest.

"Stop...please..."

Yet his pleas fell on deaf ears, for Temari could see the twinkle of curiosity in Sakura's eyes, and the rosette had lowered herself some to listen to the blonde child.

"He calls you Sakaasan now. He thinks your his mother now!"

The girl said no more as Kankuro jumped at her in a means to cover her mouth. The blonde girl simply laughed while leading Kankuro around the room, moving at just the right moments to escape her brother's grip. Meanwhile, Sakura's lips had pursed to the mixture of her name.

"Sakaasan?" she repeated to herself, trying to let the meaning sink in.

She often worried Gaara would come to view her as a mother figure, but was surprised to see it come first from the brunette. Understandably, she knew her attentions would be met differently with each child, yet still didn't think she had left that much of an impact on Kankuro nonetheless. It made her stem back to how lonely these children were, how clueless they were to parental relationships. Sakura didn't think of herself influencing the older children so much to the point that one would contort her own name, and the word mother, together. Thinking about it now, it made a little more sense since Kankuro was more like Gaara not truly knowing who Karura was. Temari was the only one who recalled moments of their mother while Kankuro doubted which memories of her were real and which were just a dream. It seemed Kankuro bordered closer to Gaara in the same light as there was little to no knowledge, or information, they knew of their mother. They only had the song, and Temari's words, learning who Karura was.

It made a little more sense then to Sakura why Kankuro labeled her mother. He looked for a living thing that showed him kindness unconditionally. He was still too young to understand that even if he could not see or hear her, Karura's love was still there and strong. He longed for a figure to guide him and hold him in his worst of days, and there was Sakura. The thought, name, Kankuro's affection, was all heart-warming.

...but it left Sakura with a sour taste in her mouth.

She wasn't their mother, did not even want to be a motherly figure to the three of them. She had been worried about this since Gaara and her grew close, and tried to remind him constantly that she was his friend. Karura was their mother, and whatever impression they had of the woman in her world, as well as her, she wished to keep the same in this world. She was their friend back home, here she wanted to be the same. It felt odd when she thought of their older selves, who were all older than her, to be considering her as a mother figure.

Gathering all this information in her mind quietly, she could still hear Temari and Kankuro running around the room teasing the other, but instead glanced at the quiet redheaded boy who watched the ordeal while sitting on the bed.

' _Does he think of me like Kankuro does, like a mother?_ ' she wondered.

Whatever his thoughts, Sakura had made a sharp gasp at the sight of him eyeing Kankuro with narrow, dark intent. She could never be rid of someone's jealousy, it was a human trait that would live on until the end of time. But it could be taught to be overcome, ignored, pushed aside. She was still teaching Gaara this, and while she would find a child's jealousy innocent, she worried Gaara's could still take a darker turn. As close as he had grown to his siblings, she still worried of his slip ups. Worried how far he could take his jealousy.

A life taken could not be replaced.

She ushered the two children away then. Away from her teachings, and the motherly figure one of them was clinging on to. She distanced them away from small, angry eyes that had looked down to those killed under him before her.

"Let's play again soon," Temari exclaimed before hugging Sakura goodbye.

"Bye-bye, Sakaasan," Kankuro had said, neglecting the feeling he had for the word before when Temari uttered it.

She waved them away, a smile on her face. They had first come for their brother, but they left looking up at Sakura. It wouldn't even be a second after Sakura closed the door would a little body be rushing up to her, leaping itself towards her for a tight embrace.

"Gaara," Sakura murmured his name.

He said nothing, burying his face into her.

Sakura sighed to this, coaxing his red hair with time. It didn't need to be mentioned that the boy's jealousy turned to anger. Anger towards her, towards Kankuro, towards Temari, or towards all them Sakura did not know. What she did know was that she was happy to see that he searched for comfort instead of letting that anger take hold of his fragile heart.

She knelt down to his level, pushing him back some before taking his face into her hands. He pouted, he looked away from her, but still leaned into her touch. His eyes told her much, where before they told her nothing. She once could not understand his silence, but now knew what little things made him upset, or happy.

"Sweet child," she murmured to him. "How proud I am of you, Gaara."

She referred to his restraint. Once where he would hold nothing back striking at his siblings, he now instead came to her for comfort and aid than letting anger control his mind. Still, his sad eyes went to her after her compliment, and the dreaded question she knew was coming finally broke free from his breath.

"Are you Kankuro's new mother?"

Sakura drew her hand back slowly from Gaara then. She was quiet at the thought, and watched Gaara's eyes darken from a tint of jealousy and confusion.

"You're not," he answered for her, almost as if he was trying to defend the thought himself in his mind. "He already has a mother. You _can't_ be his mother. You're…"

His voice slowly trailed away, and he stared at Sakura while trying to process what her facial features and muteness meant.

"I'm what?" Sakura asked him.

Outside, a calm, collected woman stared at the child and patiently waited on him, inside, though, Sakura was nervous and impatient to understand how Gaara viewed her. If his claim of her was like Kankuro's, that she was like a mother to him, than the rosette worried for the child's view of her in the future.

"My friend," he answered quietly.

She smiled then, a small breath of relief escaping her too.

"Why can't I be your friend, _and_ his mother?" Sakura teased him.

Gaara pouted once more.

"Because he already has a mother. You can't leave me to go take care of him. You have to stay here and be my friend."

Sakura smirked then, watching Gaara turn his eyes towards the side of him in a grimace.

' _Spoiled one,_ ' she called him in her mind. ' _I need to show you more about sharing._ '

Sakura chuckled softly, stretching her back some as Gaara's eyes went back to her.

"You're right," she sighed content. "He does have a mother already. You both do, and I don't think I'm meant to take her place."

Gaara said nothing, just stood and stared as Sakura spoke.

"I'm your friend," Sakura began before the boy interjected.

"Close friend," he corrected her.

' _Ah, that's right,_ " she suddenly remembered.

There were those close to her, she had explained to him once. Best friends like Naruto and Ino, and Gaara had proclaimed he wanted that immutable friendship with her as well. She had agreed, for there was always room in her book for one more of those. She nodded at him in agreement.

"Best friends," she corrected the term more fittingly before continuing on. "But I can be Temari and Kankuro's friend as well."

His eyes swept fast away from her, and his frown grew heavy over time. He contemplated her words, eyes swimming around the floor under him as he tried to think the thought through.

"Best friends too?" he asked.

Sakura shrugged.

"I don't get to spend much time with them like I do with you, but it is possible we may become better friends one day."

Gaara's eyes and mouth fell then.

"No..." he suddenly whined.

And Sakura was surprised to see him reach for her for another embrace. She tried to hold back her chuckles as the boy buried his head once again against her.

"That's not a bad thing, Gaara," Sakura tried to tell him. "It's alright to have more than one friend."

He nudged his head against her before turning his head to the side so his voice could be heard.

"Then how come I only have you?"

Sakura sighed, and the boy did not protest as the rosette lifted him to her sit on her lap. She nudged his chin gently up to look at her.

"It's alright to have only one friend, and it's alright to have many friends. Do you remember the little girl from the playground the other day?"

Gaara nodded.

"She really liked your sand. I bet if you saw her again that you two could be best friends."

"We could?" he asked with anticipation.

Sakura nodded with a glowing smile.

"Of course! Temari and Kankuro as well. Just remember to have patience," Sakura said.

The boy frowned.

"Well...How long does it take?"

Sakura hummed in thought, tilting her head to and fro before replying.

"Just depends," she told him. "It took you awhile to consider us friends, didn't it?"

"We've always been friends," Gaara tried to reassure her.

Sakura lifted an eyebrow skeptically towards the boy. She wasn't sure if he tried to joke with her, but his apathetic gaze told her he was serious of his words.

"Oh?" she asked. "Have we now?"

Sakura brought a hand up above him, and Gaara stared at it as Sakura mimicked a claw slowly reaching towards him.

"I guess all those times you told me to leave you alone, or go away, was just your way of showing what a good friends we were, huh?"

Before the boy could answer, Sakura brought her hand down, tickling Gaara as he struggled against her hold before bursting into a fit of laughter.

"Was this what you meant to do when your hand of sand came after me?" Sakura asked him above his cries.

"Stop!" Gaara cried through his laughs.

Sakura let up, and the boy rolled from her lap and away from her tickling fingers. As he turned around to face her he instantly charged at Sakura with a small cry of a warrior, mimicking her along with laughter as he brought his own digits to try and tickle her. From her arms, to her chin, and to small places on her neck did he try to reciprocate the feeling. When nothing emitted from Sakura, the boy took a defeated step back to look at her.

"Why doesn't it work on you?!" he asked, annoyed.

Sakura stuck out her tongue playfully.

"Ninja aren't ticklish," she told him. "I've been trained to overcome tickles."

In truth, the act didn't work because the woman had braced herself. She could also admit little Gaara was unfamiliar how to use his fingers for such an innocent act. Perhaps this had been his first attempt. Yet, she smiled at herself, finding her little, white lie humorous.

"Just goes to show how much more training you need," Sakura added.

She grinned when she saw Gaara pout and narrow his eyes towards her

"My sand will defend me," he replied, scowling still at Sakura's words.

The women repressed a chuckle to Gaara's attitude. He turned his back to her, about to walk away, but stopped mid-step. The rosette watched as Gaara whipped his head quickly back towards the door with wide eyes. Before Sakura could ask, Gaara told her,

"Someone is coming," he murmured.

He always sensed a presence heading towards the room before she could. Perhaps it came from years of confinement and solitude in the room, but she had become impressed with Gaara's detection. She glanced again at the little boy, his shuffled appearance from before reforming back to his quiet self, and he even turned his back on the door before the knock even came. Through his actions; that was how Sakura knew the person rapping against the door frame was not one to worry about. Yet, her face still fell at the sight of the man once she answered the knock.

"Baki-san," Sakura had murmured, a little surprised to him.

To his hard frown, the night of Annaisha's death replayed in her mind. Slowly, she brought her body outside of Gaara's room, shutting the door slightly behind so as the shield the boy from Baki's view. Looking back up at him, Baki's face was stern, frown hard, but stoic. He said nothing as silence lingered, and Sakura wondered if he too played in his mind the possibilities of what Gaara had done to Annaisha. Sakura's heart ached at the sight in front of her, though she wouldn't call him her friend, Sakura felt a connection to the man through both the sand siblings, and Annaisha. Never once had he mocked Gaara in front of her, and she was well aware of the future the two would have together, that it made Sakura's frown sink more.

Annaisha may have deserved what she had gotten for attacking Gaara, even if it wasn't the outcome Sakura had wanted. For Baki, he certainly hadn't deserved the pain of losing someone close to him, and Sakura hoped this incident didn't hurt whatever relationship came from Baki and Gaara in the future. Though they had told her once before that Sasuke would never return, that thought breaking her heart at one point, Sakura still couldn't imagine the unbearable hurt Baki was going through knowing he would never see Annaisha again.

"Sakura-san," he finally began. "Good evening. I come with a message from our great Kazekage-sama."

But he was also a ninja. He had been taught to overcome and overbear, even more strictly so in this country. He spoke to her with a straight back and clear voice, and Sakura knew then that the mention of Annaisha coming up in conversation would never come first from Baki.

Sakura said nothing to his words, still unsure how to approach Baki. So, the young man continued.

"He asked me to regrettably inform you that Annaisha has passed. A serious illness had taken a hold of her a days back and she had been unable to overcome the sickness."

' _What?_ ' Sakura slowly thought.

What was this lie Baki was suddenly spewing, Sakura wondered. Surely, he… Surely, Rasa… _Surely_ the men who had found Annaisha's body knew well what demise had come to her. Sakura slowly brought her eyes back up to Baki, his vision was unreadable but his stare was strong on Sakura.

' _No,_ ' she realized. ' _This is a lie they want me to spread if asked. They don't want word that Gaara almost lost control again..._ '

And she realized then that she had heard this lie before.

"I'll take my leave now. Good evening, Sakura-san," Baki said with a quick, small bow before turning on his heels.

He marched a few steps before Sakura called out to him.

"Wait!" she cried, and he did.

He kept his back to her, silent, as Sakura scoured her mind for where she had heard these familiar words.

"Temari had mentioned the same thing happened to Shiori," Sakura said.

She paused, waited. Silence followed, and with it came dread in Sakura's heart.

"Both Shiori and Annaisha unfortunately shared the same sickness that took them both," Baki spoke, clearing up any of Sakura's confusion with loose words.

Sakura's eyes widened then. Had Gaara killed Shiori? Was this why the old lady had been gone from long ago? Had this been the reason Rasa called her to his office to tell her to watch Gaara more closely? Exactly how far did these lies go? To the world, Sakura could care less if these two deaths were spoken as ill-fated sickness. For the man in front of her though, Sakura wondered what truth he knew. He deserved to know what happened to the woman he loved, yet did he already know so? Or was his mind painted with lies as well.

"What are you saying?" Sakura asked him. "Do you know? Rasa had to have told you..."

"Shiori and Annaisha unfortunately could not overcome the illness that took them," Baki repeated a little more loudly.

Sakura's shoulders fell then.

"Baki-san," she whispered. "Please, tell me you know. Please, tell me they at least had the dignity to tell you the truth..."

The man went silent, still frozen in his place as Sakura stared at his back. It wouldn't be until her vision grew fuzzy did Sakura realize tears were beginning to form in the corner of her eyes.

"I'm a medic," Sakura began, trying to rephrase her words carefully. "I know sickness. I know poisons. I know how to save those from the brink of death. I could have saved Shiori and Annaisha, I have no doubt about that."

Still nothing came from the man as Sakura waited. So instead, she continued.

"What happened to _them_ … Is something I could not save them from."

It was her secret way of telling him, letting him know that illness hadn't taken either of them; and it was her own way of knowing whether Baki knew what Annaisha's true demise had been.

"I tried to with Annaisha," Sakura began, and she blinked away whatever forming tears were coming when she saw Baki's back suddenly tense. "I tried so hard to-"

"Annaisha is with her mother now," Baki spoke sternly, cutting her off, and finally he turned to face Sakura.

And as professional and clear as his voice had been, just like he had been trained to be, his eyes gave away the heartache he felt within him. And Sakura knew then, knew very well, that Baki was spared no detail of how Annaisha truly met her end.

"There is some comfort knowing she is back with the person she loved the most, her mother."

Most surprising of all then, Baki offered Sakura small smile. Probably his own way of thanking the rosette for considering him and his feelings on the matter. No matter how much she smiled and defended the small boy, she considered Baki's own feelings enough to reveal the truth to him, and mentally he noted to himself how caring Sakura must be.

Even if she guarded views on Gaara, she was kind-hearted enough to let him know the truth, no matter what outcome view he would have on the boy. Now, if only Gaara could have learned of that same loving kindness Sakura had before Annaisha was killed, he thought. Yet, his training through the years and few days of grief had led him to overbear the pain.

Time would heal, he told himself days ago. It was not a ninja way to hold on to the past.

So, instead of heartache, his instinct made him fall back to Sakura's words.

" _I'm a medic. I know sickness. I know poisons. I know how to save those from the brink of death..._ "

The ninja side of him, the side that told him to do all he could for his leader and village shined instead in his mind that moment. And a twinkle of amusement lit up his eyes. Where the young woman was only aware of what happened inside the walls of this room, Baki was willing at this moment to shed a little more light onto what was currently the village's top priority.

"Sakura-san," Baki began. "Would you mind accompanying me? I'd like to ask your assistance in an important matter."


	28. Chapter 28

Their walk was fast as he spoke what little details he found allowable to share. His steps were even larger than her own, an act that told her how serious the current situation was, and she even caught herself pulling Gaara hard to keep up with her pace. The small boy protested none and instead took in a little interest to what Baki was telling Sakura along the way. For the rosette, in a way, Baki was throwing her into déjà vu once more with his words.

A special team had been sent out weeks ago, searching for a man Baki only referred to as, " _someone of interest._ " Apparently this _someone_ had been spotted within their country, and the team was sent to gather intel and report back immediately if they found him. A mission that was constructed to remain combat-free. However, as Sakura knew best, missions could easily change in the blink of an eye, and this intelligence gathering had turned deadly. Only one man had been brought back from the small group, unconscious, fighting for his life from poison the medical team failed over and over to overcome. Their last hope was also on the brink of giving up, doing all she could so far. Yet, Baki raced now with what he hoped was another solution.

He briefed her quickly.

"Needles laced with poison," he told her.

' _Acute toxicity,_ ' her mind told her instead.

Her eyes narrowed, she had treated something similar here in Suna years ago.

"Even the expert we brought in is stumped," Baki continued. "The patient shows no signs of responding to the antidote given by our expert."

' _It is something they've never seen before,_ ' her mind said.

"We believe the person of interest we were searching for did this to him. Our...intel tells us he is someone intelligent in the field of poison," Baki said.

' _Sasori..._ '

"He doesn't have much longer."

"Leave it to me," Sakura said without a pause in her voice.

She even gripped Gaara's hand tighter before picking up their pace and towards the hospital Baki led them to. They raced together inside the bright room of the hospital and stopped as Baki called for the head doctor. Sakura stood back, watching and waiting as Baki explained on her behalf who she was. The rosette was even going to take a step forward to introduce herself to the doctor, to explain that she could be of help, but stopped when she heard Gaara murmur towards her.

"They're looking at me, Sakura," he whispered to the rosette.

To his words, Sakura looked down at Gaara before her eyes whipped in the direction he was looking. Sure enough, the nurses and secretaries who stood idly by stared back in shock and awe at the little boy in their presence. Those that were able, visitors and patients, capable of leaving were hurrying out the door from the sight of him. Not long after, Sakura could feel Gaara's fingers fidget lightly, and a small whimper of despair echoed in her ears from him. It was the second time, in a long time, Sakura had brought Gaara in a place surrounded by many in close proximity. She learned back then that the small boy did not do well with judging eyes and frightened scowls.

"Ignore them," she whispered back with a squeeze of his hand. "Don't look at them, look at me instead."

As his head picked up to her words, she offered him a smile, and he returned the gesture with a small one of his own.

"This is a hospital," she told him, using words to distract him lest his anxiety return.

He nodded to her, glancing around the waiting room again. She wasn't sure if he was familiar of the place or not, but she was sure he focused on her words more than the eyes of others.

"I was born here," he quietly told Sakura, eyes still scouring around.

Sakura smiled.

"That's right," she told him. "In one of these rooms."

"Mother died here," he continued.

Sakura pursed her lip, unsure what territory the boy was venturing to with the mention of death.

"Gaara..." Sakura murmured, her tone warning.

There was an emergency happening, and the last thing she wanted was Gaara to act out now given the environment he was thrown into. No doubt anxiety built in him still from those surrounding him. Yet, he caught on with Sakura's tone, his intelligence shining once again with his next words.

"What?" he asked her. "I'm fine. Just saying..."

"It's a bold thing to say," Sakura countered, but could admit the boy seemed mentally stable right now.

"Well..." he began, eyes still scouring. "You brought me here too. Long ago."

Sakura paused for a moment, recollecting that time in her mind.

"Yeah," she murmured. "I did."

She was about to make a comment about how much time had passed before she realized what a joke that term to her was now. Time mocked her.

"Sakura," Gaara called to her again, suddenly squeezing her hand tightly.

His eyes went up to her fast and she looked down at him, taking in his contemplating look.

"I-I don't think I should be in here much longer," he suddenly told her.

She opened her mouth, about to tell him not to focus on others, but was cut off as he continued.

"I can smell blood," he commented. "It's...It's making _it_ wake up."

Sakura's eyes widened then. It was the first Gaara had ever fessed up to his doubts and faults like this. Before, he would keep quiet about what plagued his mind. His admittance once again showed off the boy's intelligence, and it as well sparked a thought in Sakura's mind.

' _Is he learning how to control it?_ ' she wondered.

Sakura lifted her nose, trying to smell that iron smell she had become familiar with, but instead found only those familiar chemical smells that came with hospitals. It made her wonder if the Ichibi inside Gaara heightened Gaara's senses for it's advantage. She didn't dwell on the idea, instead focusing on what the little boy had told her. If he trusted her enough to reveal to her that this place may not be a good haven for him now, she was going to do all she could to protect the little boy from his erratic mind. She eyed Baki once more.

"I need to stay here for a bit," she began telling Gaara. "Will you behave if I have Baki-san take you out for some Kakigori?"

An upside and downside in Gaara's mind, and he pouted.

"No," he whined. "I want you to come."

At this point, there was no other option.

"I can't," she told him.

Her eyes went back down to his, showing off a small smile.

"Please?" she asked him. "For me? Just this once."

She saw Gaara tear his eyes away from her, narrowing them in the process as he looked up at Baki's back. He was quiet for some time, but eventually Sakura got the answer she was looking for.

"Alright," he told her. "But...you have to come with me next time."

Sakura grinned, squeezing Gaara's hand.

"I promise," she said before adding. "Thank you, Gaara."

It would be this moment Sakura would walk up to introduce herself, and Gaara, to the doctor. The man eyed Sakura, skeptically, and Gaara, nervously.

"It's uh… as I'm sure you know, not an environment for children," the doctor began, but was cut off by Sakura.

"Don't worry," Sakura told him. "If you let me, I'd just like to assess the patient. Baki-san here has offered to take Gaara out for some Kakigori while I study the man."

"Did I?" Baki asked, baffled.

Sakura shot him a glance, causing the man to sigh and shrug.

"I believe I did," he murmured.

The doctor nodded, turning on his heel after.

"Follow me," he instructed.

Sakura did that, but was caught by the muscle of her arm. She looked at the culprit, his stern eyes never blinked as he spoke to her.

"Don't make this a mistake on my part, Sakura," Baki began to warn her. "Kazekage-sama would have my head if he knew I brought you here. His trust in you hasn't grown since you first arrived."

Sakura narrowed her eyes in return, lips pursing. Why bring me then, she had wanted to ask. Yet, the damage had already been done when Baki informed her someone's life was on the line and she had the capability of saving them. She knew deep down she could not turn the other direction and walk away knowing she could save a life. This dying man, he probably had a family. A mother, a father, siblings, maybe even a lover, maybe even children. Surely someone was sitting and anxiously waiting, praying, begging, searching for a higher power and asking them to save their loved one.

Sakura was certain Baki had only brought her here because he was considering what his higher ups wanted. The council, Rasa; for them the search, and capture, of Sasori would be a tremendous breakthrough for the country, and especially for Suna. It would make their great leader look all the more promising. For the time, people would forget their worries and celebrate especially when it would be discovered that Sasori was the culprit in Sandaime Kazekage's disappearance and murder. A distraction to them as Rasa continued to search for a solution to their crumbling country. Of course, she could understand the hesitance Rasa still had on her. Still too new, too mysterious...and someone who challenged him. Though, he kept her in hopes she would be used exactly as Baki was using her now. After all, the old man had seen some of her skills, but he had wanted to break her in like a wild horse before using her for his benefit.

Lucky for him, and Baki, Sakura's sole purpose now was wholesome. She was a medic doing a medics job.

"Don't worry," she replied. "I've worked in this situation many times."

Baki studied her eyes some more, silently. With a grip on her arm still, he gave her muscle one last squeeze.

"He's in your hands now, Sakura. We're counting on you," Baki said before finishing. "I trust you."

Sakura smirked, nodding at him to show him her appreciation with him believing in her. He let her arm slide out of his hold, and she only took a few steps more in front of her before turning sharply back upon hearing Gaara's next words.

"Don't grab her like that," Gaara spoke loud and clear. "If you do that again, I'll kill you."

Sakura could see Baki take a step back from the child, but did not falter his bravery. He simply stared down at the child in thought, and Gaara's eyes went to Sakura's instead as she pointed at him angrily.

"Behave," she mouthed at him before pointing a finger in the direction for him to leave.

He lightly scoffed, but followed Sakura's direction and led the way for a sweet treat with Baki following closely behind.

Sakura shook her head at the sight. While she believed no trouble would come from the pair, she was unsure how the other would perceive the other for the time.

"Teacher and student," Sakura mouthed, remembering their relationship in the future.

With that final thought she turned and headed towards the unit she knew the man would be in. It would be a few hallways later that she would catch a glimpse of the doctor from before, waiting for her by a room.

"In here?" she asked him as she drew closer.

He nodded, and Sakura stared into the room. Surrounded by nurses, the rosette saw a glimpse of the man on the bed. Tubes down his mouth and on his nose helped him to breath, and Sakura even caught glimpse of an old, small machine they use to rely in the past to draw in blood from the patient, clean, and then return. Obviously the technique wasn't good enough to clear away what was killing him, but no doubt it had helped the man to survive to this point.

"His face sheet, Sakura-san," the doctor said, drawing in her attention before handing off a few papers on a clipboard.

Sakura glimpsed down at the paper.

"Ken'ichi," she whispered his name.

The paper for the most part was basic. He was young, younger than Sakura, male and a chunin. A typical, healthy young man who just got spotted by a stronger enemy. In the back of her mind, Sakura wondered if he had been hit with the poison and tried to flee beforehand, since Sasori had feverishly let her know how he enjoyed collecting bodies for his puppets; or perhaps Sasori had taken the other three and left this man behind. She would never know, and trying to analyze Sasori's work now was pointless. In fact, it made Sakura's thoughts pause for a moment once in a while remembering a man she had killed, in her world, was alive in this one.

"You induced coma? He's actually managed to stay awake some?" Sakura stated, reading more of the sheet.

"Yes, once we were able to clean some toxins out of his blood, but he began having frequent seizures throughout the day and night," the doctor gave her an explanation.

"Has he had any since?" Sakura asked.

The doctor shook his head, and Sakura looked back down at the paper and analyzed what medicine and antidotes were, and had, been administered.

"Frequent seizures, hypertensive, low heart rate, and..." as Sakura read her words paused, and her eyes slowly traveled up towards the doctors. "No more kidney function?"

"It's too early for me to say whether it's acute or chronic. At the moment, we've all just been focusing on working and finding an antidote for him. If he survives, I can figure what damage his body has undergone and work from there."

Another sour taste in Sakura's mouth came then. The idea that this man had been laying in his bed for days just waiting to die while Sakura sat around in a room with a means to save him bothered her greatly. She did not know this man, but that was no reason for her not to care. The machines he was hooked up to were basically the only things keeping him alive at this point, and Sakura worried now what irreversible damage had already been done to his body. Hopefully, it was not too late to save the man from going back and living a normal, as normal as it came being a ninja, life.

"Well," Sakura began, handing the clipboard back to the doctor and tying her hair back. "I'll be quick. Hopefully we can fix this before any of the other organs start to go."

The man's eyes went round to Sakura's words. The young girl carried so much confidence in her that she could fix this that he stood there frozen for some time before realizing Sakura had waltzed into the room without him. He was able to shake off his awe, and walk by her side by the time Sakura had finished washing her hands. At this point the nurses had all turned to stare at the new girl, who walked in like she was familiar with this scenario.

"This is Sakura-san," the doctor introduced. "She is here to assess Ken'ichi per Baki's request. Please assist her in any way she asks."

To his little introduction Sakura had put on a mask as well as latex gloves. She turned to everyone, bowing her head.

"Thank you for having me," she told them. "I won't be in your way for long."

Yet, the only reply that came was one behind Sakura.

"Che, what is this? Bringing in some outsider because you all can't do the jobs yourself?"

Sakura's eyes widened to that familiar voice, and she spun on her heels to stare at the familiar old woman standing at the doorway.

"Chiyo-baasama..." Sakura whispered in shock.

The old lady locked eyes with Sakura, her demeaning look still as strong as Sakura remembered it to be.

"Ah! Chiyo-sama!" the doctor exclaimed, racing to the old woman. "What a surprise to see you here again. We thought that you had given up on young Ken'ichi here."

It seemed the old woman paid no mind to the doctor, instead strolling into the room quietly with eyes moving from Sakura down to the patient as she stopped next to his bedside. She remained quiet as she stared down at the young man.

"He's getting worse," Chiyo mumbled under her breath. "I wouldn't be surprised if his mind is already gone."

Words probably she had no intention of letting others hear, yet Chiyo's voice was clear to everyone, and no one uttered a breath of difference. In their eyes was already defeat, and they looked away from the young man upon hearing Chiyo's voice. It would be the doctor first, coming to the old woman's side, asking for aid still.

"Is there nothing more we can do?" he asked Chiyo. "Kazekage-sama is really pushing for his survival."

The old lady only twisted her lips upon hearing that, and shook her head.

"He was a fool to send this group out so unprepared…I just want to see my cute, grandson's face again," she murmured.

To Chiyo's words, even presence, Sakura was more than certain now who the culprit was. Person of interest, Baki had told her, yet she knew Chiyo's old self would refuse to be here if there wasn't even a sliver of a chance that it would lead to Sasori.

"Another antidote, perhaps?" the doctor offered the old woman. "Please, Chiyo-sama."

"What would be the use?" the old woman answered him. "It's too long of a process. If by chance I could come up with one, it will be too late."

Sakura narrowed her eyes to the old lady's answer. The rosette had more than respect for the old woman, she had love for her. She loved her like she was another part of her family, even if this Chiyo did not know, the woman had sacrificed so much for her own sake, as well as others. Yet, the answer Chiyo had given irked Sakura to speak up.

"And?" Sakura asked. "He's still alive."

Heads turned towards Sakura then.

"He is hanging on, depending on us. We should push forward for his sake, his family's sake. For his loved ones. You can give up once he's dead, but right now we should all be working ourselves hard to help him."

Nobody said anything as Sakura strolled closer towards Ken'ichi. Yet, the rosette continued to speak as she began assessing the young man. She checked his numbers, did her vital signs, pulled at his mouth, eyes, nose, everything all while speaking.

"He is a part of Suna, we should consider him like family. Ken'ichi now is our father, our son, our brother..."

The rosette turned her eyes then back to Chiyo.

"Our grandson," she finished before turning to the nurses in the room. "Would you give up on him now, while his heart still beats, knowing he is family?"

Yet the room remained quiet, and eyes fell still towards the cold floor. Sakura turned to Chiyo then.

"If this was your grandson on the bed, hooked up to these machines and fighting to stay alive, would _you_ walk in here still and do nothing more?"

Sakura could see the old woman's eyes widen to her words, yet said nothing as Sakura eyed each individual differently.

"If this was your father," she asked. "Your brother, your son…You'd just give up like this?"

Still nothing said.

"Let's treat Ken'ichi like a family member. That is what he is to us anyway. We are family here in Suna, and we should be working hard to save one another."

She turned to Chiyo once more.

"After all, we never give up on those we love, do we? We fight hard for them."

Sakura returned to Ken'ichi before she could interpret Chiyo's expression and assessed him further, determining what obvious similarities were in this poison to the one she dealt with years ago on Kankuro. A few different components, she could see and would have to later figure out what exactly, but it was generally the same. A poison, calculated to Sasori's liking but one he would continue to work on to perfect, and it would be years later that he would come up with something stronger. Yet, that did not mean that Ken'ichi would be an easy save. The antidote she had worked on for Kankuro would need to be tweaked some to work with differences she found in Ken'ichi, and she would admit, time was not on their side.

Time mocked her again.

' _No,_ ' she told herself to that thought. ' _I am medic. I look at a patient, not a clock. I will give Ken'ichi more time, and not let it end now._ '

Sakura backed away from Ken'ichi then, removing her gloves and mask she marched back towards the doctor.

"May I borrow that clipboard and a pen?" she asked him.

The man was startled for a moment, still processing Sakura's words, that he nodded only towards her after a moments of silence.

"S-Sure," he told her.

Sakura scribbled what she would need. If she wanted the time to mix the antidote without haste, she would have to extract what poison she would be able to let the young man hang on to life for a little longer. A process she had done with Kankuro, as well as many others in her time.

"Please," she handed off to the doctor. "Can you have the nurses bring me these?"

"For?" the doctor asked.

Instead of answering right away, Sakura walked over to the small machine that drew in the boy's blood. It was only when Sakura began pressing the machine's controls, returning all of the blood, did the doctor call out.

"W-What are you doing? You don't have authority to be making these decisions! Baki only asked me to let you assess the boy, nothing more."

Yet his voice did not shake Sakura, instead she turned to face him.

"Please," she told him. "I've worked with poisons like this before. I'm confident I can save him."

The nurses murmured then to one another, whispers that still hit ears with ease.

"She can save him?" they asked.

"Should we let her?"

"We have nothing more to go on anyway."

"It would take a miracle at this point..."

Despite the voices, the doctor and Sakura's eyes narrowed at one another.

"You are not a professional here," he told her. "You can't make these calls when you don't even work here. I don't even know you! My license-"

"I'll take responsibility!" Sakura cut him off. "At this point I don't care if you tell Rasa that I'm here now! Whatever happens at this point forward, I'll take responsibility for it. If punishment follows then fine, but I can't stand around here knowing I have the expertise to save him when the rest of you want to call it before he is even dead!

The murmurs hushed to Sakura's loud voice, and nothing was said until the doctor hissed at her.

"I'm calling security."

He turned on his heel, but only one step was made before Chiyo threw her arm out in front of him to stop him. To this action, the man stepped back in surprise.

"Ch-Chiyo-sama?" he asked, confused.

Though the doctor's eyes were on the old woman, Chiyo instead held her gaze on Sakura's own. She studied her for another moment in silence before speaking.

"Don't you know," she murmured. "When a woman speaks, a man should quietly listen and do what is asked."

The doctor took a step back from Chiyo, jaw dropping as he tried to interpret the old woman's words.

"W-What are you saying?" he finally managed out.

This time Chiyo turned to face him, lowering her arm back down in the process.

"We have nothing more to lose from her help, right?" she asked the man.

"T-There's still a chance!" the doctor argued. "Ken'ichi may pull through on his own and-"

"Don't try to lie to this old lady," Chiyo cut him off. "I could see it in your eyes, we were all ready to give up."

Whatever words the doctor prepared, he swallowed then, glancing from Sakura to Chiyo.

"I'll take responsibility of her," Chiyo muttered, making the doctor once again take a step back in shock.

"If Kazekage-sama knew we brought someone in without his approval first he would-"

"That ol' humbug doesn't scare me. Though I understand he was trying to keep this matter, and fix it, within his own people, he should have known better than to hide someone like her. Someone willing to try to the end."

Again, the room grew quiet as Chiyo finished her words. Everyone was unsure what to do, what to ask, who to address, but Chiyo still was not finished.

"All I want is to see my grandson again. I'm no spring chicken, and who knows when my time will come. So, if a chance to see him again lies with her, than I say let her."

Chiyo's eyes went to Sakura's again, where the rosette held an appreciative smirk for the old woman. Yet, from her eyes, did Chiyo's gaze suddenly look somewhere through her.

"Besides," she began whispering. "You can tell she's had the best train her."

Sakura kept her eyes steady to that claim, but inside fretted that the older woman would remark now about Tsunade or ask Sakura of their connection. Luckily, Chiyo remained quiet before turning towards the doctor and nurses.

"You heard her. She gave you list. Get to it, we got a life to save!"

The nurses finally moved, a few of them glancing at Sakura's list before fetching the equipment as the others prepped Ken'ichi for Sakura's extraction. It would be the doctor taking one last glance at Sakura before his frown returned to Chiyo.

" _Your_ responsibility, Chiyo-sama," he reminded her before the two began making their exit.

"Yea, yea..." the old woman mumbled. "Don't go giving me attitude now. You were going to hand a dead body over to the Kazekage, now _I'm_ going to give him someone who he can speak with."

"Ah, Chiyo-baasama!" Sakura called for her attention, but stepped back once she realized the two never had a proper introduction.

Yet, to Sakura's call the woman did halt her steps before looking behind her towards the rosette skeptically. Instead of asking how Sakura knew her name, she instead asked what it was she wanted.

"Thank you," Sakura told her. "Thank you for trusting me. I'm confident I can save Ken'ichi-san. You have nothing to worry about."

Chiyo stared once again at Sakura for some time before replying back.

"What is your name?"

Sakura blushed when she realized she had forgotten to mention who she was to Chiyo,

"Sakura," she told Chiyo.

"Sakura…?" the woman pressed on, trying to get the rosette to reveal more.

"J-Just Sakura," the rosette murmured, hiding still her surname.

She knew then how suspicious she must sound just from hiding that factor, and even the doctor had turned back to eye her skeptically. Luckily for her, Chiyo again retained Sakura's respect.

"I see," she murmured. "Sakura, I'm aware I have nothing to worry about. You walk holding hands with a monster after all."

Sakura swallowed hard then, trying to be rid of the sour taste that had returned, and she watched as Chiyo turned to the doctor then.

"I'll be in the greenhouse," she told him. "Bring her there afterward."

"Y-Yes, m'am," the doctor replied. "I'll be sure to-"

"Gaara isn't a monster."

The room hushed to Sakura's declaration. Even the nurses had stopped short of their work, and Chiyo once again met eyes with Sakura. It would be the first time, ever, Sakura glowered towards the older woman.

"Please, don't claim him as something he clearly is not," Sakura continued.

Murmurs began once again in the room. Questions of the rosette arose, her knowledge of Gaara and village came into play once again, or what her ties to the boy were. Her mindset was so different of each of their own. Different, and hard to accept, something that frightened each and every one of them. Different was bad, not understanding was scary, contradicting thoughts angered them. All words that described the little boy, and the mutual feelings people shared towards him.

"Then, _what_ is he?" Chiyo's voice spoke clearly, never faltering.

"Gaara is Gaara," Sakura replied. "He is a little boy. He is a child, like we all once were."

Chiyo opened her mouth to speak, but fell short when her eyes traveled over towards Ken'ichi. Instead, she sighed before nodding towards Sakura.

"Sakura, good luck."

With that, the old woman turned once more, escorted by the doctor. At this moment then did the group of nurses sent out to fetch Sakura's equipment returned. Buckets, towels, purified water, all of it came piling up next to Ken'ichi as Sakura waltzed over to wash her hand once more.

' _Don't think about it,_ ' she thought.

Her mind rattled at Chiyo's words of Gaara, the older woman's label of the boy angering her mind still.

' _Gaara is not a monster._ '

She had a life to save now.

' _He will be good. He is good._ '

She swallowed again.

' _Chiyo-baasama, you'll sacrifice yourself for his sake..._ '

At that memory, as Sakura continued to scrub her nails, the rosette smiled. Even if that time in her own past made her heart ache at Chiyo's sacrifice, the idea the woman gave up her own life for Gaara had Sakura feel all the more grateful to her now.

' _At this point,_ ' Sakura thought, ' _if I had to, I'd do the same for Gaara._ '

"Sakura-san, we're ready when you are," one of the nurses came forward.

Sakura turned to meet the woman's eyes. She expected to see uncertainty, nervousness, maybe even distaste in the woman's gaze from the mention Gaara beforehand. What she didn't expect was a smile.

"Before we begin though," the woman began again. "We just wanted to let you know what an honor it is to be working with someone like you."

Words Sakura had heard many times before, but never in a sense where these nurses had know idea who Sakura was, and nonetheless, spouted to someone high respected how Gaara was just as equal to them as a person. The comment had Sakura glancing back at the other smiling nurses before returning her gaze to the one in front of her.

"Me?" Sakura asked.

"Yes," the nurse said, walking with Sakura back towards Ken'ichi. "What you said earlier, how we should be treating Ken'ichi-san here as if he was a blood-relative really spoke to each of us."

"Just let us know how we can help," another nurse spoke up.

"With your confidence, I know we can save him," another voice came.

"We won't give up on Ken'ichi-san just yet," came another.

"We trust you, Sakura-san," and another.

"It's an honor to be working with someone such as yourself, Sakura-san," and another.

To the last of the comments Sakura nodded to each woman and man in the room, silently thanking them for the praise and confidence.

"Saving Ken'ichi's life," Sakura began to say, lifting her hands in the process and channeling her chakra to her entire palm before placing it into the bucket of water, "let us begin."


	29. Chapter 29

It had taken her longer than the process had with Kankuro. Her skills had manifested beyond expectations with her age, but the poison had also lingered in Ken'ichi longer than it had Kankuro. Nonetheless, as soon as she had finished, she stepped back with a loud, triumphant sigh.

"That's all we can do for him right now," Sakura announced. "Go ahead and send some samples of the poison we collected to the greenhouse so that I may analyze it there."

Sakura wiped the moisture from her from hours of work off her brow, but stopped when an eruption of applause suddenly rang around her. The nurses were smiling and commending the young woman with their clapping.

"His blood pressure is dropping," one of them announced. "It's lowering to better levels."

"His heart rate too is getting better!" another called out.

Sakura smiled softly upon hearing those facts, yet knew deep down that this was only the beginning to saving Ken'ichi. The reminder came ever so much clearer when the doctor sneaked up behind her, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Sakura-san, will you be aiding Chiyo-sama with the antidote as well?"

She recalled the process with Kankuro, and tried to remember what all she had used at the time. Trial an error it would need to be again, especially since this poison was a little different, but she remembered the basics to it at least. She had a starting point at least, where as she imagined Chiyo and the others were going on with false starts that would eventually lead them away from the ultimate goal. To the doctor's question, Sakura only blinked in thought for a second before cocking her head back to answer him.

"Of course," she replied. "I leave Ken'ichi in your care now."

The doctor nodded before ushering Sakura to follow him. The doctor was filled with questions as they made their way towards the hospital's greenhouse, and Sakura answered what she could. She had a teacher, she told him, but did not reveal a name. She had been studying since she was a little girl, but did not share which village it was she devoted herself to. She told him she had done this many times before, but left out that Kankuro had been a patient of hers once like Ken'ichi was now. Yet, the one question she struggled most with…

"Why are you not working in our hospital, Sakura-san?" the doctor asked. "We could really use your expertise. I see you as someone who is on par with Chiyo-baasama… Maybe even greater."

Sakura twisted her lips to this question.

"Rasa has assigned me to watch his son, Gaara. Nothing more," Sakura finally confessed.

Her words led the man to stop his steps and turn around to face her. His face had fallen, surprised.

"You're his caregiver? You watch his son instead of saving lives?" he asked.

Sakura nodded, confirming to him that indeed she was, and for the first time since she arrive her, aside from Gaara, there was repulse in Rasa's decision.

"What a waste," the doctor commented.

Sakura said nothing. Did she think her skills were being misused as a nanny? Absolutely. Did she regret being placed to watch Gaara? With time, she had learned the answer to that was no. In this world, if she would have to choose now, she'd much rather guide Gaara through his hard times than be placed in Suna's hospital.

"That's the second time I have to disagree with you tonight, doctor," Sakura commented then.

She smiled at him as his passive eyes stared at her, but he nonetheless eventually turned from the rosette and led her outside.

Sakura stared up at the twinkling stars, wondering how late into the night it actually was as they approached the brightly lit building. Sakura could hear a small stream, passing outside and into the building as it flourished the small bushes that laid out around the building. No doubt, they were simply décor, but nonetheless the sound of fresh water, and scent of greens, made Sakura close her eyes for a moment in contentment.

' _Reminds me of home,_ ' she thought, trying to picture in her mind Konoha's lavish scenery.

"Ah… Perhaps, you'll be alright to escort yourself from this point on?"

Sakura opened her eyes then, surprised to see the doctor suddenly retracting backwards. An unknown fear came to his face, though he eyed the greenhouse instead of her. Following his gaze, Sakura caught sight of three familiar people just outside the entrance. The older two were Baki and Chiyo conversing, while a few feet behind Baki was Gaara dragging a stick against the ground.

"Gaara!" Sakura smiled before lightly jogging towards the group.

The doctor got no second thought from Sakura, and he watched her make her way towards the group before turning back towards the direction of the hospital.

As Sakura approached Gaara from behind she could see he was knelt with his back towards her. She shuffled his hair from behind, causing him to shoot up in an instant, yet as he turned around and saw who the culprit was he relaxed before returning Sakura's own smile.

"You're still awake?!" he asked excitedly.

It made Sakura blink in confusion before she looked back up towards the bright moon. She realized then how late into the night it really was.

"Of course," she murmured, pulling the child close to her and stroking his locks. "You know I wouldn't go back home without you first."

The boy leaned his head to where her hands traveled against his scalp, and smiled all the more to show off his missing tooth.

"You should just stay up all night with me," he commented.

Sakura chuckled to his request before eyeing Baki and Chiyo again some feet away.

"You may just get your wish tonight," she murmured.

"Really?!" the boy beamed, even pulling back from Sakura's touch to gaze up at her excitedly.

Though she smiled, she still shook her head at him.

"Not to play though," she added. "To work."

"Work?" Gaara pouted. "What work? You're not suppose to work. You're suppose to take care of me."

"Brat," she called him. "You're constant work."

Gaara's eyes had widened to Sakura's words, yet before he could try to find the meaning behind them, Sakura lowered her face to his and patted the top of his head.

"But I do it because you're my friend," she told him. "There's nothing else I'd rather want to do than to be with you."

The boy grinned then, and Sakura could see the stain of red against his lips.

"Messy child," she told him, dragging her thumb hard against the corners of his mouth to rid the stain.

He laughed to her ministrations before pulling away and licking his lips.

"Thank you for behaving for Baki. Did he get kakigori as well?" Sakura asked the little boy.

Gaara sniffed before looking towards Baki.

"No," Gaara commented as he shook his head. "That's alright though, it wasn't tasty tonight."

"It wasn't?" Sakura asked with a tilt of her head.

She was surprised to hear such a claim, and wondered if Gaara was beginning to grow bored of the constant treat.

"The old man wasn't there tonight," Gaara revealed. "A girl made it. It wasn't as sweet, it just tasted like ice."

' _Tsutomu wasn't there? That's a first… I wonder why._ ' Sakura thought.

Gaara's teal eyes turned back up towards Sakura, and his old, passive gaze returned before he spoke his next words apathetically.

"She was afraid of me."

Gaara's voice was carried off by a small breeze, and the boy's stare did not falter in linger as Sakura took his words in. It was an old, demeaning look she hadn't seen for a while, and with a few blinks of his did the frown disappear as he turned his head away from her. His face wrinkled then, as if he was confused for a moment.

"Are you alright?" Sakura asked him.

He turned to her again, but with a bright smile this time that contradicted his previous grim features. To her question, he nodded his yes.

"I'm alright," he told her with a smile.

As the boy turned his head, back to drawing the sand under him, Sakura had to wonder again what it was exactly went on in the boy's mind.

' _A constant battle,_ ' she reminded herself. 'My _teachings against the Ichibi's._ '

She was sure the monster in his head had just spoken to the boy then, paining the kakigori girl's fear of Gaara into something much more detailed than need be. In a way, for Sakura, she often would forget a power, that was a being itself, resided within Gaara. He was a little boy with a quiet voice, but he homed a loud, heinous beast. If it tried to constantly encourage the boy to kill Sakura, did that mean Shukaku could view her as well? Could it hear her words of encouragement when she relayed it to Gaara?

Did it listen to Gaara's tears?

She understood Shukaku's distaste in mankind came from the chains that constantly bound it, but did the beast have absolutely no heart for the boy it tormented? At the time, she wished she had gone to Naruto before all this and asked him more about Kurama. She had seen them all once before, watched a few of them depart to destinations of their heart's desire after Naruto and Sasuke's fight. Yet, she did not once acknowledge them or bid them farewell. She just felt it wasn't in her place to do so, and instead she had stood back and watched Naruto, Killer B, and Gaara give their goodbyes. They at least had some connection to the mysterious creatures to stand in front of them and watch them leave with their blessings.

Now she wished she had taken the initiative to step forward.

"Can it hear me?"

Gaara turned from his drawing to look back up at Sakura curiously. He was surprised to see her serious face.

"Can what hear you?" he asked innocently.

Sakura said nothing, and simply stared at the boy. She was teetering in dangerous territory again, she knew that, yet something inside of her could not stop. Perhaps it was another connection to Gaara she was searching for, or at least a means to know if Shukaku could hear her. If she could just make his dark echoes stop somehow…

Her stare became long, and even if her lips were pursed, Gaara ultimately realized who it was she spoke about. He slowly narrowed his eyes towards her, but eventually turned his head and gaze away from Sakura and back to the dirt under him. Perhaps she was asking too much of him, Sakura thought as Gaara began writing in the ground under him again, but eventually his voice came.

"Always," he whispered.

His voice led Sakura to continue to believe that this conversation was taboo. She wondered if Gaara saw her and him as a duo pair that would shun away all that tried to hurt the both of them. Rasa was territory they tried to avoid, the talk of pain and suffering in the past was replaced with hugs and play instead, and Shukaku's name was never uttered unless it was Sakura convincing Gaara to overcome its voice. Yet, it was the rosette pressing forward, and even revealing something she shouldn't to the little boy.

"I know Shukaku, I saw him once before."

Gaara's head whipped fast towards Sakura then, and he even stood up to face her fully. Not surprisingly the boy's eyes narrowed again towards her as confusion flashed across his eyes. His mouth continuously opened back and forth with words he was trying to speak, but were left unspoken. No doubt he wanted to call her a liar, words the beast in his head was ringing in his mind right now, but fell short remembering who the woman in front of him was. This was Sakura, another part of his mind told him, she wouldn't lie or play jokes like this with him. So, he remained quiet, eyes focused on the rosette and waiting for her to explain herself.

"It was a while back," Sakura continued, eyes narrowing as she tried to recall the sand tanuki. "...It was loud. It spoke like it was above the world."

Gaara's eyes widened then with recognition before they slowly narrowed again. To those words, Gaara found a voice.

"It says your lying," Gaara murmured.

Despite the boy's warning tone, and dangerous eyes, the rosette instead looked down at Gaara in surprise.

"Oh? It can hear me now?" Sakura asked before leaning down to Gaara's level. "Tell Shukaku it's nothing but a kibitzer."

Sakura knew then the messenger wasn't necessarily needed, and that her voice reached the deep end of Gaara's mind as the small boy winced and cradled a palm against his head suddenly. Sakura instantly reach for Gaara then.

"I'm sorry!" she quickly apologized. "I didn't mean for it to hurt you. I was just..."

Yet, she was surprised to see Gaara shake his hand towards her to not pay him any mind. She continued to watch as the boy drew in a deep breath, before relaxing his tense shoulders to the release. His hand returned to his side, and he even forced a reassuring smile towards Sakura.

"I'm alright," he murmured. "It...it just didn't like that."

Sakura's eyes widened to this, but was most surprise that Gaara had been able to control himself to the monster's rage. Sakura was in awe that the small boy was able to push away whatever words were spoken, and smiled as Gaara's eyes continued to shift back and forth between her and the emptiness in front of him.

' _He's hiding something,_ ' Sakura thought.

She brought a finger up to press against the boy's shoulder.

"That's not all it said, is it?" Sakura asked.

She could see Gaara's lips purse then, and even pink painted his cheeks as he tried to keep silent.

"Tell me what all it said," Sakura ushered him.

"No..." the boy whined. "It isn't nice..."

Sakura laughed then.

"It's alright," she told him. "I know it's not from you."

The boy shifted his eyes again, but sighed as Sakura's stare waited on him.

"Fine," he mumbled and turned to face her once more.

He let a breath go once more as he brought back his stoic features to latch on to Sakura's own look.

"It called you a liar," Gaara repeated. "It says you have no business speaking to it and labeling it since you are a worthless human, and that the first one it is going after, once it gets out, is you."

Sakura's eyes nearly bulged, but as she recalled who the beast was, she realized then she should have expected nothing less.

"It also says that you're the meddler here, and that you're just some old hag whose too ugly with that pink hair to find a man of your own and start a family, and that's why you're stuck here babysitting."

Silence followed then, and Gaara's pink cheeks only deepened as the words left his mouth. Eventually he turned his eyes away from Sakura's own, ashamed she had asked him to speak such words to her. Yet, his eyes went back up to Sakura as she suddenly stood straight up.

"Sakura?" he asked.

His eyes widened as Sakura narrowed her eyes down towards him and pointed a finger towards his head.

"You bastard!" she cried suddenly.

Gaara took a step back from here then, surprised the rosette had such anger in her suddenly.

"It-it wasn't me!" he told her.

"I know that!" Sakura yelled back. "I'm talking to that stupid tanuki!"

At this point, to Sakura's loud voice, Gaara covered his ears. He was trying to drown out Shukaku's own amused laughter in his mind.

"Let him out, Gaara," Sakura told him.

"W-What?" Gaara asked, hands still clasped over his ears. "No..."

"I'll show him what this _old hag_ can do! How humiliating for him that he only has one puny tail while his brother's have magnificent multiple ones. What the hell is wrong with him just having one?! I bet his brother's laugh at him. Let him out, I'll shut him up permanently!"

Gaara took a step back as Sakura approached angrily and with rising fists. His hands still covered his ears, but he could hear the beast within his mind riling up as well to the mention of his tail, he too demanded to let the boy give him control and that he would shred the woman to pieces, ending her voice.

At this point Gaara sought refuge, and the closest one came from the man a distance away. Baki and Chiyo were staring at the commotion at this point, and were surprised to see Gaara racing towards them suddenly.

"Don't, Sakura!" he cried as he ran towards Baki. "You're scaring me!"

The small boy placed himself behind Baki, using him as a shield as Sakura raced for him.

"I'm not going to hurt you, Gaara," Sakura said, though with fists still high. "I just want to pulverize the thing inside of you."

Baki cleared his throat then, earning Sakura's angry gaze.

"Sakura," he whispered in her direction. "Control your temper. Kazekage-sama asked you to watch Gaara-sama, not attack him."

Sakura looked aghast to Baki's words.

"I'd never hurt Gaara!" she cried. "He's my friend!"

She lowered herself then, to Gaara's level, and tried to make eye contact with the boy while he continued to use Baki's body as a shield.

"No..." Sakura drawled with clenching fists, "the one I want to hurt is that sand bastard, Shukaku."

It would be Baki and Chiyo sharing a concerned look then. Their quick glance silently asking the other if Sakura had really just proposed she fight the feared Ichibi.

"Sakura..." Baki began, but was cut short by Chiyo.

"The Ichibi doesn't work like that."

Her voice had made Sakura stand back up then, staring at the woman curiously.

"Fists would do nothing against the Shukaku," Chiyo continued. "Your best attempt would be to imprecate the foul beast, but even that would look hopeless."

Sakura said nothing as she took in Chiyo's words, and in time it was Baki coming to her side to change the subject.

"Chiyo-baasama was just telling me the progress you've made with Ken'ichi," he began. "Your assessment turned hands on it seems."

Sakura shrugged at the man.

"I expected as much that it would," Sakura spoke. "You obviously didn't bring me here just to watch one of your men die."

Baki's eyes seemed to waver in front of him, and he said nothing for some time while lost in thought.

"I suppose that is true," he murmured to himself. "It just baffles me..."

Sakura's eyes narrowed then, not following what he had to say as his voice trailed off.

"What does?" Sakura asked him.

She was answered with a shake of his head.

"It's nothing," he murmured.

Sakura's gaze hardened more. She disliked when she was kept in the dark, and her facial features spoke to the older woman, Chiyo.

"It's baffling to him because here you are, a person within this village solving a problem everyone else here, including myself, couldn't figure out. Doing it nonetheless within hours while we've been struggling for days."

"I don't see how-" Sakura began to explain herself, but was cut off by the woman again.

"Why is it Kazekage keeps you tied to his child instead of putting these extraordinary, medical skills to use? Is it because you're an outsider?"

"Chiyo-baasama, Sakura is not an outsider. She has always been a citizen here," Baki explained.

"Poppycock," Chiyo hushed the man. "I've been in this village for years, and not once have I seen such pink hair strolling around the streets. Rasa isn't fooling anyone saying this girl has been with us always. He keeps her away, and you know exactly why."

Baki could only grimace to Chiyo's words, the truth kept his lips sealed. They all knew why it was Rasa did not use Sakura's expertise to her full potential. She wasn't one of them, she was still a danger to the eyes of this country. Rasa kept her in hopes that maybe, one day, she would be of some use somewhere much greater than in Gaara's room. However, Sakura knew Rasa's trust in her faltered every time she came to him arguing about Gaara. Surely knocking the Kazekage back didn't help her case either.

In a way, Chiyo's words barely fazed Sakura. Gaara himself consisted most of her time, while the rest was spent seeking a way back home. The thought of Rasa asking her to work in the hospital, while properly placed, would be more than she'd want to handle at the moment. She assumed it would tear her and redheaded boy apart, and that was something she definitely did not want now.

"It's embarrassing to see the other village medics so far advanced from our own," Chiyo spoke again. "So, so disappointing."

"I-I'm not from another village, my family were travelers and-!"

Sakura's voice cut short as Chiyo turned her back on the group. Instead of Sakura's words, she chose to return to the greenhouse. To her departure, the young woman's heart ached some. As uplifting as it was to see Chiyo alive again, the old woman's backwards teachings hung heavy still in her heart. Chiyo was yet to become the woman who bettered herself through Naruto's acts, and it was like a whole different women Sakura now interacted with.

"She means well," Baki spoke, trying to break Sakura's gaze.

Sakura blinked a few times before turning her head towards.

"R-Right," she answered him. "It's fine. It's just been a long day."

From this, Baki gazed at the child behind him.

"Shall I escort Gaara-sama home? I could watch him for the time being as you work for an antidote."

"No!" Sakura and Gaara spoke in unison.

The rosette smiled to the child's voice then, and that smile grew as Gaara pulled himself away from Baki to go next to Sakura. As he drew close to her, she placed a hand instinctively on his head.

"Sorry I scared you earlier, Gaara," she told him.

His eyes blinked up towards her.

"You're all better now? Not crazy anymore?"

She chortled to his question. Some may argue on the crazy part, but Sakura nonetheless nodded to the small boy.

"I won't do that again. I promise," she told him.

Gaara locked his hand within hers as Sakura led the two of the towards the greenhouse. Once inside, she was surprised to see Baki had followed.

"You're not tired?" she asked him.

"Chiyo may have claimed responsibility on you," Baki explained. "But the reality is I should be the one keeping an eye on you."

"It may take all night," Sakura murmured.

"I'll return home once you are finished," he replied.

Sakura shrugged once again. The more she thought about it, the more she realized another pair of eyes set on Gaara wouldn't be so bad as she knew she would preoccupy her mind soon. Baki stood back as Sakura led Gaara through the greenhouse and into the different rooms. She wanted to show the boy the new place before beginning her work.

"It stinks," Gaara murmured, and Sakura was surprised to even see the boy cover his nose. "It feels funny in here too."

"This is a greenhouse," Sakura explained to him. "Every village has one. These are plants from other parts of the world."

"Why are they in here?" Gaara commented, finally letting his hand fall from his nose.

"This house keeps them safe," Sakura replied, now walking Gaara along the rooms hand in hand and showing of the plants. "They can't survive outside in the sand and heat. They're used for medical purposes, and study."

Gaara said nothing, instead turning his head around the room they were currently in.

"Can I see the cherry blossoms?" he questioned.

Sakura smiled then towards the boy, amused.

"What?" she asked him. "You remember what I told you about them?"

Yet, as the rosette glanced around the room, she realized in time that the plant had no real purpose here. She gave the boy an apologetic smile.

"Sorry," she commented. "Looks like they don't keep any of those."

Gaara's eyes traveled the room as well in search.

"There," he said, pointing a distance away. "I see one."

Before Sakura could follow his eyes, the boy jogged from her side and across the room. Sakura's feet were slow, but they nonetheless followed him, and she watched as he knelt down towards the section of the room that held cacti. She was quiet as she watched him stare longingly at one of the cactus blossoms before reaching out towards its pink petals. Before the women could stop him, his sand instead came up to shield the little boy from the plants in front of him. From his grains, to his fingers, the boy stared curiously until he murmured.

"What happened?"

Sakura knelt down to him then.

"Look," she said, rocking the tip of a spike on the cactus carefully with her index finger. "You can't get near the blossom because of the spikes here."

Gaara stared hard at the plant, clenching his hand back and forth.

"They'll hurt you?" he asked.

"Yes," Sakura answered, pressing her finger harder against the spike.

The young woman didn't flinch as she broke skin, but the sight made Gaara gasp, and his eyes were intent on her finger as she showed him the small pearl of blood that followed.

"The spikes can pierce your skin. It's not a good feeling," Sakura continued.

Yet, she wondered if Gaara had heard her words, for he had brought his palms up suddenly to gently cradle Sakura's bleeding finger. He was quiet, blinking once, twice, thrice, in a trance while staring at the blood.

"Your blood smells so good, Sakura," he finally admitted, his voice as passive as his longing gaze.

The rosette grimaced to those words before shifting her healing chakra towards her finger. It only took her less than a second to seal the small hole back closed, and she pulled her finger away from Gaara to wipe the small pearl of blood away.

"Maybe you would do well in the medical field," Sakura told him to lighten the mood. "A lot of people avoid that route for fear of blood."

Gaara only blinked up at Sakura in wonder before he turned back to the magenta petal on top of the cacti. Sakura's eyes followed.

"Also, that's not a cherry blossom," she continued. "This is just a flower that grows on cacti. Just because it's pink doesn't make it a cherry blossom."

Gaara was quiet, but Sakura watched fascinated as the boy attempted to reach the flower again. Carefully, this time, he avoided the tall spikes to reach the magenta blossom. As the boy began brushing the petals lightly with his fingers, he grinned.

"Pretty," he whispered.

Yet, all it took was a wrong twist of his arm, and his sand once again came to shield him away from the flower. He withdrew his hand then, eyes narrowing and pouting slightly, frustrated by his automatic aid. His sand shielded him from harm, yet it also blocked him from the his ultimate goal. How could he earn the reward he sought if his sand held him back from the dangers of attempt?

"Can I have it?" he turned to Sakura then. "Will you get it for me? ...Please."

Another sympathetic smile from the rosette. Whatever remained in here belonged to Suna, not Gaara, and the woman shook her head to him.

"I'm sorry," she told him.

"Why?" he whined, a desperate look coming to his face now.

Sakura sighed to his small tantrum, staring once again towards the magenta petal. She eyed the tall spikes, a familiar story coming to her mind then. Where was it again she had heard this tale, she wondered.

"Because the cactus loves its flower," Sakura began. "It grows tall spikes to protect the fragile flower from being stolen away. The cactus won't let anyone take its flower."

Sakura smiled then, eyes back to Gaara's mesmerized ones. To him, she poked his stomach playfully with her finger.

"Including little boys like you."

The boy seemed to appreciate the story, for his frown formed a smile and he turned his twinkling eyes back to the petal.

"I could just break it," Gaara commented then. "I can rip the cactus apart and take the flower for myself."

His choice of words made Sakura's eyes nearly bulge, and her jaw even dropped for a moment.

"Gaara!" she cried, surprised. "How could you say that? After what I just told you."

Sakura shook her head as the boy looked playfully back towards Sakura, and he even embraced her in a hug as he laughed lightly. It seemed the boy teetered his approach with a joke, but Sakura still hoped the lesson of the story sunk in to him. She lifted his chin with her hand, making sure the boy took her next words seriously.

"Love can be a dangerous thing," she told him then. "Don't try to come in between love, you think you could break cactus, but for flower, it may very well defeat you instead."

Gaara's smile fell then, and he eyed the cacti as if it were now challenge.

"It's weak," he replied.

"Love is strong," she replied back.

He frowned hard, eyes narrowing still to the cacti. Gaara became quiet as he lost himself to his thoughts though he embraced Sakura still, and eventually the rosette stroked his messy, red hair.

"You know," she eventually told him. "If you want, we can go out and buy you a small cactus. You can grow your own flower to keep then."

The boy looked back at Sakura, his small frown growing into a smile as he stared up at her.

"I want a cherry blossom," he told her.

Sakura rolled her eyes, still amused though, and shook her head.

"Cactus don't grow those. I told you already. If you want to see a cherry blossom you should go to..."

Yet, as Sakura spoke those words, another idea suddenly came to her mind that made her voice stop. One that she had to pause for a moment, and recollect past events that had led to this point. Her hand had stopped suddenly, tangled in Gaara's hair, and her face must have morphed so quickly that Gaara picked up his head to stare at her.

"Sakura?" he asked. "Are you alright?"

His small voice rocked her, but she kept her eyes distant, and past him. Her look of surprise suddenly morphed into a smile of her own.

"I promise..." she murmured before stopping.

"Hm?" Gaara asked with a tilt of his head.

To that, Sakura shook her head and grinned back down towards the boy.

"I promise," she told him suddenly. "I'll take you to see the cherry blossoms. _Soon_."

Gaara's eyes widened then.

"Really?" he asked, unsure that was a promise she could keep.

Yet, the girl defied much of his doubt in the past already, so it came as no surprise as she nodded her head towards him with a giant grin of her own.

"I promise!"


	30. Chapter 30

' _That scroll..._ '

The idea of the scroll she was asked to deliver, from Kakashi to Gaara, seemed to have been cast aside as a problem not worth fretting over for now. She pushed it to the back of her mind, joked with the child not to be upset with her over it, and never gave the idea of its purpose much thought.

"Could you get more of this root?" Sakura asked one of the tenders next to her.

"Right away," they replied.

She was currently working on an antidote, yet one thing preoccupied her mind now.

' _That scroll..._ '

How foolish, she thought of herself now. How could she have blindly tried to absorb everything around here, care for a boy and look for a solution, when the biggest clue she had to go on had been forsaken in her mind and only resurfaced as a joke to Gaara.

' _That scroll…!_ "

She had forgotten one of her teacher's first lessons, that ninja should look underneath the underneath. The idea that Kakashi had sent her on a mission with that scroll was just a passing thought. He had told her before it was because he trusted no one else, besides Naruto, to deliver it to the Kazekage, but surely given her profession as a medic Kakashi could have found someone just as trustworthy who was a courier. Her eyes narrowed trying to recollect his words…

" _Something Konoha has that Suna would like to borrow for the time."_

_...for the time."_

_"...time."_

Sakura's eye twitched hearing Kakashi's voice ring in her mind, and she inwardly groaned. Had he been playing with words again with her, or was she just delving too far deep? Did the scroll she carry really manipulate time? If it did, what did Gaara, from her time, want with it? How was it Konoha had something so powerful? Alliances they all were now, but surely it would make Suna nervous knowing Konoha had such manipulative power, or how was it Kakashi saw no harm passing off the scroll to another place far from his watchful eye?

Again, Sakura groaned. It wouldn't be the first, nor last, time Kakashi's words or actions would make her do that.

Alright, she began telling herself, if the scroll was a leading clue, maybe even the cause, what next? She had lost the parcel coming here, but the idea that the scroll still existed here in the past didn't fly over her head. She had watched Kakashi retrieve it within the Hokage's office, locked away in an easy accessible box. She could recall the thin seal that kept it neatly rolled up…

It would be all too easy.

And that thought made her worry.

Something she thought may be all powerful was far too easy to take a hold of, at least simple for her, that it made her doubt the scroll could be the first step to a path leading home. Yet, there was nothing else to go on. At least if she had the scroll, it was something she could cross off her list of ideas how to get home if it helped none. She had nothing to lose.

Again, she narrowed her eyes in thought. Rasa had told her that he would help her with time, and there would be no better time than now to request a visit to Konoha...with Gaara.

This was another kage that made the rosette groan, but with distaste this time. She had no idea if her words, and hit, had given Rasa a more negative view on her, and she could just hear his amused laughter at the request of taking Gaara along. The option to leave behind the boy was quickly brushed away. She would drag Gaata along with her as long as she could. She could not say goodbye to him now, not when the scroll could be either a solution or not. She couldn't promise him she would return, and she could not yet say goodbye if the scroll would just have her returning to Suna in search for more clues.

She had cried once before to the thought of saying goodbye and leaving behind the small, redheaded child. While her departure was inevitable, if she had the power, she would do all she could to keep Gaara beside her until the very, last moment where she _had_ to say farewell. She promised him to take him to see the cherry blossoms. Soon.

Leaving behind Suna in secret, with Gaara, would be her last option if need be. She wanted time in Konoha, at least to show Gaara her home, she knew that would be impossible with Rasa sending his men after her. Not to mention, she didn't want to tarnish the already imperceptible relationship Suna and Konoha had at this time. Taking the Kazekage's child, and weapon, to Konoha would not bode well over, especially if Rasa were to ever learn her ties with the village.

She was forming so many ideas, plans, and also thinking of what consequences that may follow that her attention was not properly placed at the task at hand.

"Sakura, you're using a water base once again. This can only be mixed in an oil base."

It was Chiyo that snapped Sakura back from her thoughts. The two had worked side by side, an opportunity such as this was wasted by Sakura's thoughts. In her world, Chiyo was gone, in this world, the old woman could probably share a bit more of her wisdom if Sakura could just leave the old woman with a good impression. Yet, she wasted it with quiet thoughts and stupid mistakes. The rosette sighed, stepping back from her work to once more fetch ingredients to start all over again.

"You're wasting our limited resources," Chiyo told her upon her return. "Please be more careful this time around. We can't afford anymore mistakes."

Sakura nodded to the woman then.

"Yes, Chiyo-baasama," she replied.

There would be no use arguing with her now. She was right, Sakura had used up the last of a root that only grew within her home village, this was their last chance quickly working up an antidote for Ken'ichi.

"Your teacher..." Chiyo began to say after some time of silence. "Her name was?"

Sakura swallowed hard. She knew who her resembling skills, knowledge, and quick work came from, and also knew Chiyo recognized it. Yet, she did her best to keep it hidden. The greenhouse attendees worked nearby, and Baki lingered with Gaara some rooms away where the cacti were that she didn't want her voice to slip to the wrong ears. Who was she to also think, at this time, that Chiyo would be as accepting learning her as Tsunade's pupil?

"My mother and father taught me all they knew," was Sakura's answer. "Whoever they learned from they did not share the name with me."

Professional, collect, working hard still on her task that it surprised the rosette to hear the old woman chuckle lightly to her answer. Her eyes went up to the older woman then, and she could see a playful smirk spread across Chiyo's face, lifting her wrinkles.

"Fine," the older woman replied," but if you ever see _that_ woman again, you tell her I still don't like her."

Sakura's eyes darted to the sides of her, making sure the worker's paid the two no mind before Sakura offered a smirk of her own.

"Of course. I'm sure the feeling is mutual."

Another chuckle from Chiyo before the two continued their work.

"Chiyo-baasama," Sakura began. "I was told you were retired. What made you decide to help Ken'ichi-san?"

The answer, of course, was obvious to the rosette the moment Baki shared with her the familiar story of a poisoned, young man. Cjiyo did it for the sake of Sasori. Her ultimate goal was a chance to see her grandson once more, even if the outcome would tear apart her heart more since his secret departure. Sakura could sympathize with the older woman on an understanding level. Long ago, Sakura, too, had lost someone so dear to her, so close to her heart that she spent every waking moment working and searching for any clues or opportunity to find him. Her love for him continued her drive even when others told her to give up. Sakura got the happy ending, finding Sasuke with Naruto and convincing him that his place was with them and helping Konoha.

Chiyo on the other hand…

Well, Sakura liked to believe that the old woman found as much peach as possible until her last breath. She liked to believe Chiyo left this world content knowing she had stopped her grandson becoming more of a monster as well as bringing back Gaara to life to help lead the village to better times. She left the world accepting all those around her instead of scowling at those she thought to help themselves instead. Sakura always believed Chiyo found her happy ending, even if it involved destroying Sasori. Without her, Sakura would be dead. Without her, Gaara would be dead. That thought itself ached her heart now than it did in the past. To lose Gaara now…

"I just want to see my grandson's smile one more time..."

A vague answer was given, one that Sakura could pry the older woman into telling her more if she wanted. Yet, with the knowledge she had, she knew what Chiyo's underlying message was. There was no reason for her to push Chiyo when it was clearly spoken in in the old woman's tone that she would keep Sasori a secret from Sakura.

Sakura remained silent after that, and instead reached for the plant she set aside on the table. Instead of a cold, dried, crumbling leaf her hand found a smaller, warm hand. Her eyes widened, shifting to the small person who had sneaked up beside her.

Gaara was glancing over the table, eyeing Sakura's ingredients while also taking hold of one of the plants. His silent spectacle had ushered others out of the room except for Chiyo.

"Gaara!" Sakura exclaimed, lifting the boy away from table. "What are you doing? I told you to stay with Baki-san."

Gaara paid the woman no mind, allowing himself to be picked up in her arms while he studied the plant he had gotten a hold of.

"What's this one?" he asked. "I want it, can I have it?"

Sakura remained quiet to his questions, instead watching him in her arms as he brought the dried plant to his nose, and smelled it while his eyes went up towards Sakura.

"Nevermind," he offered the plant back to her. "I don't want it anymore. There are others that smell better."

Sakura chuckled lightly before setting Gaara back to his feet.

"It was never yours," she told him. "Go put it back on the table."

She gave the small boy a shove towards the direction of the table before turning to the footsteps behind her.

"Apologies," Baki spoke as he approached her. "The boy ignores what I tell him."

Sakura offered Baki a shrug and sympathetic smile.

"He is a brat," Sakura said before walking over back to the boy.

She shuffled his ragtag hair before asking him.

"Isn't that right?"

Placing the plant back, Gaara looked back up towards Sakura curiously.

"That's not nice," he told her.

"Not listening to Baki-san, or others, isn't nice either," Sakura told him before reaching for the bowl in front of her.

Gaara looked behind him towards the older man, narrowing his eyes at him before looking back up towards Sakura.

"I want to play with you..." Gaara whined.

Sakura continued to work on the task at hand as she spoke.

"Later, right now I'm doing something important. Please be a good boy and wait with Baki-san."

"No..."

"Gaara..." Sakura sighed.

"You know, it's been quite some time since I've seen him. Looking at him now..."

Everyone's attention went to the old woman who had stopped her work to watch the scenario unfold in front of her. Yet, her eyes now had solely fallen onto Gaara, and they narrowed the more she stared at him.

"Looking at him now," she repeated, "he reminds me of my grandson when he was his age."

The room was quiet to Chiyo's words. Baki had shuffled lightly on his feet at the mention of Sasori, Sakura simply watched Chiyo curiously while Gaara narrowed his eyes towards the old woman. Chiyo was new to him, just another enemy in his mind, and his stare silently tried to dominate her, secretly telling her that he could kill her if he wanted.

"Except those eyes..." Chiyo began again. "Those are Shukaku's eyes."

The aura shifted, and everyone felt it. Baki had taken a step forward, Gaara had widened his eyes dangerously towards the old woman while Chiyo began to sneer at his look. It wasn't until Sakura placed her hand on Gaara's shoulder, gripping it firmly, did the boy give Chiyo one last glare before placing his arms and head against Sakura's leg. The young woman did not even need words this time to calm Gaara down, and instead of Chiyo, Gaara glared towards the floor instead.

"Oya? I'm surprised to see him cling to you like that," Chiyo commented then. "Or that you let him."

Her thinking was misplaced, Sakura knew. She knew Chiyo's line of thought would not change until the day Naruto's words and love for Gaara would shine through to the old woman. One day, Chiyo would sacrifice herself for the little boy that held onto her now.

"Gaara is my friend," she explained to Chiyo. "I would never push my friends away."

Chiyo blinked a few times to Sakura's words, her passive gaze going unmoved.

"You would call a monster your friend?"

She could feel Gaara's fingers tighten on her skin, and Sakura brought her hand down to stroke his hair, coaxing him to relax.

"No," Sakura answered. "I call Gaara my friend because he is Gaara, not a monster."

Chiyo scoffed before picking at the bowl in front of her. At this point she continued to work, but not without speaking more of her mind.

"By protecting that child, you're protecting the Ichibi."

Now was Sakura's turn to narrow her eyes at the older woman. Though angry, another part of her ached to hear Chiyo say such things. Like with Gaara at times, Sakura fell back to the thought that the future would change her for the better. With that in mind, her eyes eventually let up, and she was able to speak calm and collectively.

"No matter what happens, I would protect Gaara with my life," Sakura spoke. "No matter how many people try to convince me that thought is wrong, I will continue to do so. I would do anything for my friends!"

Chiyo froze her work then, eyes widening as a silent gasped escaped her. From the bowl, to Sakura's eyes did Chiyo slowly bring her gaze up to.

"You..." she murmured suddenly, studying Sakura for the longest time.

Eventually Chiyo's eyes went back down to the little boy, and watching him still hold onto Sakura the old woman was able to regain her apathetic stare.

"You," she murmured again, staring at Gaara still. "You speak just like his mother had."

Eyes widened then, and even a silent intake of air was drawn by Sakura. She could feel the boy once again grip at her hard before slowly feeling him turn his head and eyes back towards the older woman. Even Baki grimaced a little upon hearing such a declaration. The memory of learning Chiyo was a part of the Ichibi's sealing process sparked suddenly in Sakura's mind. Learning the information back then had been nothing but of small interest to Sakura, yet remembering it now felt so much more prominent.

If ever any doubt in the song Karura left behind for her children, or if feelings for Gaara suddenly changed as her death quickly approached, clarification would come from the woman's next words.

"She died saying those exact words. Holding you close to her as she passed on."

The room was quiet with the three, but Gaara was the one to shift from Sakura's leg. He stood facing the woman now, though one hand still clung onto Sakura's shirt, and his eyes locked with the old woman's; passive gazes taking the other in. Sakura wasn't sure if Gaara had moved because of the older woman's words or if he held his gaze towards her with interest, or distaste. Surely he was interested in learning more about his mother now as Sakura was...The truth of it all, that is.

"Two births happened that day." Chiyo eventually mumbled. "A child, and a monster."

Her words had turned distasteful once again, yet Sakura could see no animosity in the woman's eyes saying such things. She spoke as she was simply stating facts, each word coming with an uncaring shrug. Chiyo said these things not because she aimed to hurt or irk the boy, but because instilled in her was a thought everyone in the village seemed to share. To Chiyo, Gaara was not a boy. Outwardly he may appear so, but he acted out as a monster. In the old woman's eyes, he was simply Shukaku in sheep's clothing.

"What a mess I helped create..." Chiyo whispered.

"You're right," Sakura suddenly replied then. "You have helped create a mess."

From Gaara did Chiyo's eyes move now towards Sakura, and she was slightly taken aback to see the courage in the rosette's narrow eyes as she suddenly challenged Chiyo's words.

"You, them..." Sakura said while nodding to the helpers some distance away. "This village, everyone...You all have helped create a mess by casting aside a lonely boy."

Even though she knew Chiyo would not share with her now, Sakura had learned far back about the troubles that had led Sasori to abandon his home. The old woman would not yet learn how deep Sasori's abandonment would lead up to, joining up Akatsuki, yet Sakura hoped Chiyo could sympathize with Gaara's situation by viewing the similarities he, and Sasori, had in the past.

"Guidance comes from those you love the most. When the ones who are suppose to teach you the ways of life suddenly disappear so early on, you can't help but question what it was they taught you exactly, or have them there to reassure you what it was they showed you. When they wonder if you were wrong, they no longer have the voice to tell you otherwise..."

Her words were soft, they even came out slow as Sakura tried to view herself in Gaara's shoes, or even Naruto's.

"That's when you turn to others, try to find the familiar guidance within someone else."

Sakura's eyes narrowed then at the thought of Gaara, desperately looking at those around him and waiting for someone to just simply stop and offer him a path to guidance. Yet, no one even dared to cross their eyes with his pleading ones.

"What is a child suppose to do when the world around them ignores them? How can they find the right teachings and path then?"

Sakura waited, but no answer came.

"Loneliness stems many things. Losing someone you care about can create a huge doubt in your heart. Being ignored, or forgotten, breeds nothing but despair, hate, pain, jealousy, confusion. Nothing good ever stems from being lonely forever. It will makes those lash out, or simply try to run away from the hurt."

Sakura swallowed hard then following her words, and once where Sakura's eyes were, on Chiyo, they now swam past the woman as she thought deeper on the idea. Absentmindedly, she drew the boy back closer towards her before running her fingers through his red hair.

"When you say you've created a mess, I believe it," Sakura murmured then.

Her eyes returned to Chiyo's then, narrowing once more.

"And I seem to be the only one trying to fix this mess."

Still silent, gaze still passive, it felt as if Sakura's words were in vain as Chiyo simply stared between her and Gaara. Yet with time, the old woman finally replied, and it made Sakura question the world around her once more.

"There are other means of cleaning up this mess. Ways that are done in secret," Chiyo replied, her eyes widening some towards Sakura.

Sakura blinked rapidly, trying to understand Chiyo's underlying message.

' _Other ways?_ ' Sakura thought. ' _Is there someone else? What does she mean exactly in secret?_ '

Yet, before Sakura could ask anything, Baki spoke while taking a step towards Sakura.

"With all due respect, Sakura, _Chiyo-baasama_ , I believe this conversation needs to end now and we refocus on the task at hand. Kazekage-sama specifically asked to do all we can, as quickly as possible, for Ken'ichi-san."

Again, Sakura could not see him, but given Chiyo's now narrowing gaze behind her, Baki was suddenly returning that same glare. He had stopped the two, but it was apparent then that he did so not because they had strayed some from their work, but because Chiyo was leading the conversation down a path Baki thought inappropriate.

' _They're hiding something,_ ' Sakura thought before reaching for the bowl and ingredients in front of her again. ' _Is Baki just trying to keep village matters a secret still, or is there something more…?_ '

Sakura's eyes narrowed more as she felt Baki suddenly approach close behind her, and he addressed the boy who still hung to her as he watched her work.

"Gaara-sama," he spoke. "Let's go so that Sakura may work in peace."

' _Is there something more…?_ ' she wondered again, before her head shifted towards Baki,

She was able to nab the man's surprised stare with a glare of her own.

"It's fine," she told Baki then.

She reached for a plant on the table, offering the green for Gaara to hold. To his teal, curious gaze Sakura smiled.

"You can be my assintant for a bit and help me, right?"

Gaara's smile grew to a grin before he nodded enthusiastically towards the rosette.

"Un!" he replied, turning towards the table and eyeing the many plants and ingredients.

As Gaara's eyes left hers, Sakura returned the deep glare towards Baki.

"He will stay with me," she told him.

Her tone and eyes spoke silently to Baki then, she was sending him a secret message, and he received it loud and clear.

" _I know that you're hiding something from me._ "

Yet, despite the message, Baki's eyes eventually let up and he nodded slowly towards Sakura.

"Very well," he replied to her. "I will be nearby if you need me to watch him."

With that, Baki backtracked to his spot in the room, and Sakura said nothing as she returned to working on the antidote under her. Silence was only broken when Chiyo, at one point, called for Gaara to draw near to her.

"Go on," Sakura had to usher him with a small shove. "She won't hurt you."

And deep down, Sakura knew that, despite her grim words or view on the boy Sakura was also aware of the big heart Chiyo carried.

Gaara went to Chiyo, somewhat reluctant, but met her with a piercing gaze that warned Chiyo not to try anything funny with him.

"Here," she instead told him, handing him a flower. "Pluck these petals for me."

Gaara took the blue flower before eyeing it, and Chiyo, back and forth.

"These too," Chiyo told him, offering him a few more flowers. "I'll need all the petals plucked."

Gaara took no more from her, instead cradling the one flower in his hand before his narrowed eyes scoured towards Sakura for reassurance.

"It's fine," she told him. "It would really help us, Gaara. The faster we get this done the better."

Sakura smiled a little more brightly then towards the little boy before speaking,

"You'd be helping us save a life."

Gaara's eyes widened in surprise then before gazing back at the flower in his hand. In his head, the idea of a savior, than a killer, played a bit in his mind. A battle of choices again quietly rang in his head, and the opposing coaches were Shukaku and Sakura.

"He's depending on us now," Sakura offered him more encouragement.

" _He is just another being who will_ _hate you,_ " something darker whispered in his mind.

One last time, Gaara turned towards Sakura, spotting her sincere smile as it morphed into a small grin.

"Go on," she encouraged him.

With that, Gaara returned her smile with a small one of his own. It was becoming abundantly clear to him now whose guidance he would much rather follow now. Sakura's heart-warming smile was so much more admired by him now than Shukaku's dark, hunger for bloodshed.

All three adults were surprised as sand suddenly erupted from Gaara's gourd. No doubt their first thoughts at the sight were of worry, but it was Sakura who relaxed first at the sight when she spotted Gaara's smile. With the one flower still in his hand he formed a small seal, and a small claw of sand slowly reached for Chiyo.

The older woman did not back away or even bat an eye at the sight of the claw aimed in her direction, instead her eyes only blinked as the sand claw lurched and nabbed the flowers from her own hands. In another blink of the eye, his grains held each flower as multiple claws began plucking each petal carefully. Gaara continued to hold his seal, concentrating heavily at his protean, working grains before each small, sand claw dropped the blue, fragile leaves into the bowl on the table. Gaara gave a sigh after the task, perhaps using a little more of his strength than he was accustom to, but nonetheless offered Sakura a tired smile as she clapped softly at the display.

"Way to go, Gaara. You just saved us a lot of time!" Sakura cheered.

Chiyo was quiet as she picked the bowl, and a cup of liquid off the table, offering Gaara the cup next.

"Here," she told him. "Slowly pour it in while I mash them."

Gaara obeyed, holding the cup with both hands and pouring a small cup's worth before stopping to watch Chiyo mix the ingredients and waiting on her to tell him when to pour more. At first, they were each silent as they worked together, but it was surprisingly Gaara's curious mind who began to ask questions first.

"What is this?" he asked her.

And even more surprising to Sakura, Chiyo would answer him.

"Peanut oil. We can't add water to the mix."

Again, quietly Chiyo motioned for Gaara to pour a little more as she added more ingredients to mash in.

"This will save him?" Gaara asked, barely in a whisper.

Chiyo must have heard his quiet voice, and her eyes studied Gaara for a moment before she nodded.

"This will," she added. "Thanks to your nanny there."

Sakura smiled as Chiyo nudged towards her and Gaara followed suit.

"Sakura's not my nanny," Gaara commented. "At least I don't think she is...Does nanny mean friend? Because she's my friend. But if it means the same thing, she is my friend nanny. But if it doesn't mean the same thing, than she is my friend."

Chiyo couldn't help but chuckle to Gaara's overabundance of words. As much as she would deny it, Gaara's curious, young mind reminded her so much of Sasori's own at his age.

"I understand now," Chiyo commented then. "She is your friend then."

"Close friend," he added. "We'll get Kakigori tomorrow, and maybe go to the park."

"I see."

"Why are you here?" Gaara asked the old lady.

The old woman blinked to that question, pondering her answer before swallowing hard.

"Just helping," she finally answered.

Gaara hummed to that answer while he tried to imagine what Chiyo would possibly gain from _just helping_. When he couldn't find the answer, he instead questioned what had been plaguing his mind.

"You knew my mother?"

Chiyo's eyes widened briefly to that question, and even Sakura strained to listen in on the conversation then. It made the rosette realize then why Gaara had suddenly opened up so much to this new stranger in his life. She was knowledgeable of those linked to his past, and his curious mind searched for all the answers and reassurance he could grasp onto. He held on to validate himself, to give him purpose.

He searched for his reason to exist still.

"Briefly," Chiyo spoke with a nod of her head.

Gaara blinked, lips pursed as he poured more of the warm oil.

"Was she nice?"

Chiyo nodded.

"She had a very caring heart. Many people loved her. She sacrificed a lot just to make sure you would be born healthy."

Straying from her work, Sakura stopped to watch the two interact. In the back of her mind, Sakura wondered if Chiyo reminisced some at this moment, remembering her grandson at the age Gaara was now. She wondered if she had these same interactions with Sasori. She also watched Gaara's face morph to the answer Chiyo presented of his mother. Sakura reassured the boy that Karura loved him through the words she left behind on paper, yet Chiyo was able to reassure him more by sharing with him what experiences she had with Karura back then.

Yet, Gaara asked no more, and Sakura was thoughtful wondering what had made his voice suddenly silent. Yet, it wasn't until she watched Chiyo carefully pull the cup of oil from Gaara's hands did she notice the boy trembled suddenly. Even his hands did not fall as Chiyo freed his hands of anything, and soon Sakura could hear the small sniffles of a boy trying to hold back tears. Sakura was shocked, where had these tears suddenly come from? The young woman rushed to clean her hands, quickly moving so as to go over and console the boy. However, the older woman beat her to the punch, and even Gaara did not push Chiyo away as she brought him in for a tight embrace.

Where Sakura had confusion, Chiyo-baasama, it seemed, understood clearly where the child's tears had come from. Between the old woman's hold, and Gaara's words he choked to say, Sakura was flabbergasted.

A new emotion emerged in Gaara since Annaisha's death, one that Sakura was glad to see that he had not lost completely in himself. Yet, this new, raw feeling shook the small boy to the core. His outlet was always tears and an aching heart. The boy still blamed himself for the death of Karura, and before where the thought was nothing more to him than just that, a thought, the idea now settled a guilt heavy in him like a sinking stone, and his tears continued as he shook and wailed into Chiyo's arms.

"I want my mom!"


	31. Chapter 31

The old woman was accustom to these tears, Sakura could just tell by the way she cradled Gaara in her arms. It had come from years of raising Sasori, holding the boy the same way when he begged for his parents to return. Yet, it was a request left unanswered, and Gaara's tears continued when, instead of reassurance, Chiyo simply patted his back and lightly hushed him.

"There, there," she would say.

Meanwhile, Sakura and Baki could only stand back and watch in awe. Sakura was aware of the woman's caring nature, but was shocked to see Chiyo be the one to reach and console Gaara. Did Chiyo just not label him a monster only moments ago? Perhaps it was merely instinct in the old woman to do this. She mad mentioned that Gaara reminded her of Sasori at that age.

"I want to see her! I want to meet her!" Gaara murmured into the old woman's shoulder.

To his request, Chiyo narrowed her eyes some in thought. Perhaps, distantly, these requests were asked before.

"You cannot," Chiyo answered him. "She is gone."

He continued to cry.

Sakura bit her lip. It came as no surprise to the rosette when Gaara at first showed that he held no feelings for Karura. Even if he would deny it, or claim it did not bother him when Sakura first came here, he characteristically still tried to push those that would hurt him away, including the thought of a mother who despised his birth and labeled him as nothing more than her regret. The topic of Karura was never brought up until the revelation of his mother's song. Only then, as Gaara learned of Karura's true feelings, being convinced still everyday that his mother did truly love him, was when Gaara welcomed the idea of a mother.

But, she was gone, and he had no memories to recollect.

Perhaps, once he was older, he would understand the concept of a mother figure. For now, he thought it once more cruel and unfair that he had been robbed of Karura and her love. Worst, he blamed himself for her departure. This was all his fault, he continued to think. If only he could go back, find a way to her, to understand who his mother was, only then would he forgive himself. The world blamed him for Karura's death, and Gaara laughed in their faces at the very thought. The world continued to blame him to this day, and now he shed tears along with those who wished Karura back, just like he now did.

He envisioned her love differently than others; that she had a concept of understanding Gaara differently than even his siblings or Sakura did. He heard her words through song, was told her kindness in the voices of others, but he wanted to experience all of that first hand from the woman he had killed. It must have been Chiyo's words of Karura's kindness, Sakura assumed, to drive Gaara to tears at the thought of his mother. For it was a kindness the boy rarely experienced.

Sakura blinked while trying to study Chiyo's face. Her tight grip spoke more than her passive gaze, but Sakura knew the woman certainly sympathized with the crying boy. He had lost family, someone who had recently become dear to him...Just like she had.

They all had.

Sakura realized all the more then that Chiyo's heart was probably as big as her own. She had done a lot for the sake of others, even if she tried to push them away now upon her retirement. The thought of returning that most precious to her drove her to do all she could right now within her power. She wanted Sasori back just as much as Sakura once had with Sasuke. They pushed themselves to have the power to save the one they loved. Even if the woman thought the little boy before her now to be a mess she helped create, his tears were strong enough to reach her heart. Much like Gaara had with Sakura, in time.

The young woman went to boy's back then and gently placing a hand on him.

"Gaara," Sakura whispered. "Don't cry."

Yet, her request just made the boy wail, and he buried his eyes deeper into Chiyo's shoulder.

"I didn't mean to kill her! I really didn't!" Gaara croaked through his tears, the pain of speaking making him hard to hear.

Sakura said nothing, and only stared in deep thought. The situation with Karura's death was still somewhat of a mystery for Sakura, so she couldn't reassure the boy what it was had actually transpired from his birth. She assumed this was somehow just another fabricated lie.

Chiyo slowly let go of Gaara as Sakura made a reach for him. Sakura steadied the boy as he turned to face her, his face red and wet, and she smiled sympathetically towards him.

"She may be gone, and I know it hurts you not knowing her," Sakura told him. "But when you're hurting like this, you have to remember the people you have _now_."

The boy sniffled to her words, still looking below him.

"Don't forget that I'm here for you now. Kankuro, and Temari too. There's also Matsuri from the park...and soon there will be many others!"

Time, Sakura realized as Gaara's wet, pained eyes went up to hers. He would need time to understand her message, to comprehend a mother's love could be found in others. He would need time to realize that he would be alright through life with the love of his siblings and friends. He would need time to accept that Karura was gone. For even if she spoke words if wisdom, he brought his arms up and reached for Sakura. He slowly embraced her as his tears continued to flow.

"It will be alright, Gaara," Sakura cooed him. "You'll see. You'll see in time."

She patted the boy's head before rolling her fingers through his tangled hair. Despite her words, he continued to cry as she held onto him. It was Chiyo and Baki who watched, both silent still at Gaara's surprising behavior. For them, it was the first time they witnessed a monster shedding tears. Chiyo especially, narrowed her eyes all the longer as she continued to watch Gaara cry. In her mind, she could once again see her grandson desperately clinging onto her and begging the world around him to bring him back his mother and father.

"Sasori..."

* * *

It would be hours later that Sakura sat with Gaara on a small bench. Still in the hospital, they waited on the news she had no doubt would eventually come. Baki stood next to her.

She had handed the antidote off to Chiyo long ago, and with so much confidence the outcome would be a happy one, Sakura had set her sights on taking Gaara home.

" _You must stay,_ " Baki had told her.

Despite her reassurance, she could tell the man was nervous still of her actions. Responsibility of her work fell onto him, and he nervously bit his lip while waiting on the outcome. Even when Chiyo had come out of Ken'ichi's hospital room to share that his vital signs were getting better, Baki held Sakura back.

"Not until he wakes," he told her. "If some reaction were to happen, it's better you're here."

Yet, the underlying message was clear; Sakura wasn't going anywhere until they were certain she had done good instead of harm. Yet, Sakura had shrugged to their hidden thoughts. She had no problem waiting, and she did so, silently, with Gaara playing with a wind-up toy bird Chiyo had summoned for him.

"When can we go?" he asked her.

She smiled at him then, happy to see his demeanor return. It made her heart ache to see the hurting boy cry.

"Not until Ken'ichi-san wakes up," she told him. "We have to make sure he is alright."

She eyed Gaara a little more, trying to sense any disturbance in him.

"Is the smell bothering you again?"

She watched as he lifted his nose upwards, sniffing the air a bit before he morphed his face to disgust. He shook his head before looking back down to the toy.

"No, it just weird smells now," he said with a few blinks in his eye.

He turned to look at Sakura, a smile forming on her face as their eyes met.

"This area is a little different," she told him. "Not as much blood here as there is medicine and chemicals."

He nodded that he had listened to her, but in his eyes Sakura could tell the boy was bored of the environment now. He didn't find any fun being confined to a cold bench, and Chiyo's toy served its few hours of entertainment long ago.

"Is he your friend?" Gaara suddenly asked, eyes still on the toy.

Sakura lifted a brow to that question.

"Who?" she asked.

The boy rubbed his nose some while trying to speak.

"The sick man."

"Oh!" Sakura murmured, her eyes falling to the toy as well. "No...I don't know him."

Her eyes furrowed in thought, trying to recollect the man's name. Yet, at the same time, she realized she may have saved a man who passed away at this moment in her own time. She was surprised to see Gaara still his movements on the toy. He blinked again, in thought and silent, before he slowly turned his eyes back towards Sakura. His face contorted some, and he almost looked upset at her.

"Why?" he asked, bemused. "Why did you help to save him when you don't know him?"

"Because that is what I do. I am a medic," she told him.

His eyes seemed to narrow more to her answer, and she was surprised to even see the young boy shake his head disapprovingly. Even more shocking, he brought out his intellect side, the one she knew his older self to very much have.

"You had no reason to," he told her. "Why save him when he...he..."

Gaara slowed his voice then, eyes falling back to the toy in his hands and away from Sakura's stare. He silenced himself, and folded his lips from speaking.

"He…?" Sakura asked, trying to usher Gaara to finish his words.

He looked back up to the rosette, eyes angry.

"Why did you save him when he may hate you? What if he isn't nice to you when he wakes up? What if he tries to hurt you?"

Sakura did not fail to notice the way Gaara gripped the toy now, almost threatening to break to small thing completely. She spoke only when her eyes went back to Gaara's confused ones.

"Because, who will he depend on if not me?" she asked Gaara then. "Even if he hates me, I'm sure someone out there loves him, and he loves them back. If not now, than later."

"You don't know that," Gaara argued.

The boy watched as Sakura picked her head away from him, staring out in front of her while she thought deep.

"He could hate me if he wants, even if he has no reason. Anyone could hate me, but it certainly wouldn't stop me as a medic," she whispered.

Gaara scoffed somewhat to her answer, and Sakura could understand the boy's perspective then. While Sakura doubted Ken'ichi would hold distaste for her for no reason, to the boy, hate was all he received from others. He imagined Ken'ichi waking up with hate in his heart, for that was how Gaara had been programmed to think. Perhaps, in some part of his past Sakura wasn't aware of, Gaara had offered help to another, maybe even an apology, and what he thought would become appreciation towards him instead remained as antipathy.

"If you were sick, and I couldn't help you, I would hope someone would find it in their heart to save you. Even if it meant from a person you hated," Sakura spoke again, trying to get Gaara to view the idea from a different perspective.

Yet, all he did was narrow his eyes more at the toy in his hands. It seemed the idea did not bode well with him.

"No one would save me," he whispered.

"I would beg them," Sakura told him then. "I would beg them to save you with my life."

Gaara's eyes and head whipped fast to Sakura and he stared at her, shocked, by her feverish words. Yet, her eyes were still in front of her.

"I'd beg them because I care for you. I'm sure there was someone begging for Ken'ichi-san's life as well..."

Gaara continued to stare at Sakura, awed by her words, his eyes had widened and his jaw had even dropped some. Yet, Sakura was quiet and instead watched as Chiyo returned out of the patient's room, she went towards Baki first, whispering something into his ear before walking towards Sakura. Behind the old woman, Baki departed without any say.

"Well done, Sakura," Chiyo spoke while giving the rosette a slight nod.

To those words, Sakura sighed. While she had no doubt about her skills, it was still a relief to hear Ken'ichi had reacted well to the antidote. Sakura clapped her hands once before standing to meet at Chiyo's level.

"That's good news," Sakura softly spoke, fatigue getting the better of her speech. "Hopefully his recovery doesn't take too long."

Gaara, at this moment, had hopped from the bench and stepped next to Sakura while looking up at Chiyo.

"Here," he told Chiyo, offering the toy back. "You can have the bird back now."

Chiyo offered Gaara her hand, and the boy obliged while setting the toy back into her palm, yet, his eyes remained glued to Chiyo and when the woman noticed this, she offered Gaara the smallest of smiles.

"Thank you. You helped to save the boy's life too," Chiyo spoke.

Gaara narrowed his eyes before letting them fall to the side of him. Even if he gained appreciation from the two women, the idea that the man he helped make better would probably stare at Gaara with eyes of hate.

"Gaara," Sakura said while nudging the boy. "Don't be like that. This is good news! You should be happy you took part in saving a life."

"Oya, what's that? You're not happy the young man lived?" Chiyo mused.

As Chiyo conversed lightly still with Gaara, Sakura could see Baki returning, and behind him an older man followed. Though, the older man hid his face by constantly wiping tears from it. No doubt, in Sakura's mind, a relative of Ken'ichi's who had been waiting as well. Baki led the man quickly into the room, and even if Gaara and Chiyo conversed next to her, Sakura could hear a loud cry erupt suddenly within the room.

_This_ was exactly what she was wanting to explain to Gaara, and wasted no time sweeping the boy into her arms, even if she was tearing him away mid-conversation. The boy stared at Sakura questioningly, but said nothing as Sakura brought the both of them towards the door, and she pointed inside the crack for Gaara to peek in along with her.

"Look," she whispered to him. "Look how happy that man is."

Gaara watched, they both did, as the older man was sobbing uncontrollably while holding onto Ken'ichi. The young man seemed still dazed, but was nonetheless sitting up while patting the old man softly.

"My son!" the man wept then. "You're alright! You're alright..."

"Yeah..." Ken'ichi murmured. "I guess I am..."

The older man continued to weep, hugging his son still.

"They saved you! They saved my boy! Thank you, thank you!"

The nurses, and doctor, within the room murmured lightly, letting the old man know they heard him and understood his heartfelt gratitude. Even a few shed small tears along with the man.

"See?" Sakura murmured, turning her eyes towards Gaara. "Don't ever think saving a life won't go unnoticed. Someone, somewhere, will secretly thank you for giving their loved one another chance."

She hoped Gaara had heard her words, for the boy said nothing as he stared wide eyed into the room still. Even his mouth had fallen some, and he watched, engrossed, at the scene in front of him as Sakura held him. The young woman only turned her head back towards the room when Baki took a step forward towards the crying man.

"Another team, led by Chiyo-baasama, were the ones who successfully created the antidote that saved Ken'ichi-san."

Sakura was shocked hearing Baki say this to the two men. No doubt in her mind was Chiyo going to be brought up, but she never would have imagined Baki would give her credit as well. She assumed the man would keep his voice hush of her presence and work. Baki had warned her that Rasa would be up in arms if he ever learned that one of his closest men had brought Sakura to a sanctuary where he shielded his people from outsiders, and Sakura had assumed all credit would fall to Chiyo.

"What are you doing?" Sakura whispered at Baki's actions. "Don't say any more..."

She did this in no need of credit, and would hate to have this celebration ruined with words to the Kazekage that Sakura had done this. Not to mention, if pressed by others, the possibility that Rasa would cave in and order Sakura's work moved to the hospital would mean she would be torn away from the little boy. To that thought, she gripped Gaara a little more tightly.

Even if Ken'ichi was still dazed, he glanced at Baki with interest, and beside him his father spoke what was on his mind.

"Please, bring them here. Let me thank the ones who saved my son. I owe them my life!"

To the father's plea, Ken'ichi's eyes widened, and he murmured at his father something too quietly for Sakura to hear. From the man's request, to Baki, Sakura could already see the tan man eyeing her and Gaara through the crack at the door. He grimaced, no doubt struggling along with the thought of showing off Sakura. Yet, as Baki made his decision, making a step towards the door, Sakura quickly backed away.

"No, no, no!" she whispered fiercely, shaking her head.

She turned behind her, to ask that Chiyo go in and present herself first so that her and Gaara may quietly sneak away back home. Yet, as she looked back, Sakura was only met with an empty hallway.

"Eh?!" Sakura cried out. "She ditched us!"

Perhaps, for her own reasons, Chiyo had the very same thought as Sakura; she did not look for gratitude when deciding whether to help the young man or not, and had silently slipped away when the moment presented herself. Meanwhile, to Sakura's cry and tightening grip, the boy in her hands was beginning to grow anxious.

"What's wrong?" he kept on asking, eyes scanning back and forth.

Before Sakura could say anything to reassure the boy, a voice had sneaked up behind her.

"They wish to meet you, to give you their thanks."

Sakura spun fast, facing Baki with wide eyes. The man had given her little option as he had now pulled the door wide open, and their conversation was heard by all in the room. Sakura swallowed hard then. Baki had put her in this spot, so she would go in knowing any repercussion that would follow she would be sure to track Baki down and return the favor ten-fold.

"They want to meet everyone who helped with Ken'ichi's life," Baki spoke again.

' _Fine,_ ' Sakura thought.

Sakura began brushing off Gaara's face and tidying his hair as she continued to hold him. They boy stole a chance to look at her confused once her ministrations stopped.

"They want to thank us," she told him.

Before Gaara's eyes could even widen to the idea, Baki stepped to block her path.

"Sakura," he murmured. "No. Just you. I'll stay and watch Gaara."

Sakura narrowed her eyes towards Baki then.

"They want to thank _everyone_ who helped saved Ken'ichi. Gaara did a part as well in helping. He should be thanked as much as I."

"Sakura," Baki spoke softly, trying not to add gas to the flame that was Sakura's growing anger. "Ken'ichi is still very weak. The sight of Gaara may shock him and cause further complications that we'd like to avoid. Not to mention, it may scare the others."

Sakura shook her head the whole time Baki spoke.

"Then, if we're no longer needed here we will take our leave."

Sakura placed Gaara back down and nabbed his hand quickly. She turned them and took a few steps, never stopping as Baki called out her name. Yet, it was another voice, who made her tracks falter.

"Sakura? ...Gaara?"

She turned then, not because her name was murmured, but because this individual had the decency to call to the little boy. She turned to look back at Baki who had stepped back and allowed this new man in front of him to greet Sakura. It was Ken'ichi's father, and Sakura's eyes widened as she finally recognized the man whose face now was not hidden by tears.

"Tsutomu-san!" Sakura cried, surprised.

Quick, like a flash of lightning, Sakura instantly remembered Gaara's words from earlier from when he went with Baki for kakigori.

" _The old man wasn't there._ "

Was this the reason he wasn't running his kakigori stand and had another? Had he been gone from there these past nights sitting by his son's side in worry while Sakura hadn't the faintest clue? As the old man took another step forward towards them, tears once again threatening to fall, he spoke that answered all of Sakura's questions.

"Was it you?" he asked in a shaky voice. "Were you the one that saved my son's life?"

At this point Tsutomu's lips had curled back, fighting hard to held back his tears. Sakura wasted no time sprinting back towards the man with Gaara in tow, and she stopped short in front of him. The man looked down, still unable to speak lest his tears breakthrough and he tried his best to hide his red, swollen face from Sakura. At the sight, Sakura let go of Gaara and suddenly embraced the man in front of her.

"I'm so sorry!" she told him, pulling him into a tight hug.

The touch, and words, must have shocked Tsutomu, for he now looked forward with dry eyes.

"I had no idea Ken'ichi was your son!" Sakura continued.

Despite the happy ending, despite her confidence she could save the young man, despite Tsutomu's gratitude, Sakura felt guilty.

"If I had known..." Sakura spoke hastily. "If someone had told me sooner, I would have helped him days ago!" I-I didn't know! I had no idea you were his father. I'm so sorry it took me this long. I'm so sorry I…!"

Sakura stopped herself as the man gently took a hold of her arms and stepped away from her embrace. His face lifted towards her, offering her a gentle smile, and he shook his head while looking at her.

"Don't apologize," he told her. "I'm the one who should be sayin' sorry. I know I have nothing to give you that would show you just how grateful I am. I'm not a rich man either so please..."

It was Sakura this time who quickly hushed the man.

"There is nothing I want from you Tsutomu-san," she told him while offering him a smile of her own. "I did this because there was an opportunity to save someone who had no reason to die yet. I'm happy you have the chance still to watch your son's future."

Again, Tsutomu's lips curled and eyes watered as he stared down towards the floor. Tears threatened him again, and he did his best to hold them back for the sake of the selfless woman in front of him.

"Thank you, Sakura," he whispered. "Thank you _so_ much."

Sakura smile towards the man, silent. Tsutomu had told her he had nothing to offer her, yet this heartfelt gratitude he had for her was more than Sakura was expecting, and it made her glow both proudly, and happy the outcome had been a good one. The rosette was glad and then some that she could help save the son of a man who offered Gaara a little more kindness than others.

' _Gaara!_ ' Sakura quickly thought then, and looked down to the boy next to her.

The redhead's face was stoic, eyes locked on Tsutomu. He held no emotion standing next to Sakura, and simply stared studying the crying man. It wasn't until Sakura rested her hand on Gaara did the boy blink and gaze towards the rosette.

"I didn't do it alone though," Sakura smiled towards the boy.

Sakura began stroking Gaara's hair lightly as he looked up at her curiously.

"Chiyo-baasama of course helped a lot," she spoke to Tsutomu, yet kept her eyes on Gaara. "Gaara, too, worked to help us get done more quickly."

To the mention of his name, Gaara's eyes had widened. Even if Sakura had told him before that he had played a role in saving a life, he did not believe the topic to be ever brought up again, or his name uttered to others while mentioning the help. He looked confused suddenly, and even a small anxiety began to build in him as Tsutomu finally addressed him.

"Gaara-kun."

Gaara froze then to the endearing use of his name, and he stood frozen and wide-eyed for some time before his head slowly turned to face the caller. A silent gasp escaped Gaara as he watched the man lower himself to his knees to face him closer to his level. To the sight, his heart raced then, for not only was this a situation Gaara had no idea how to handle; Tsutomu had also shown Gaara a side to the world he had no clue about, or could even fathom be possible.

He had witnessed a father's love for his son.

It had confused him the way Tsutomu had cried for Ken'ichi. His tears, the way Tsutomu held Ken'ichi, even his heartfelt gratitude baffled Gaara. Was this how father's treated their children? Gaara wondered if this was how Rasa acted towards his siblings. It was bewildering to think men could love that way and cry for their child's life whereas his father wanted his existence gone. The scene before had been such a huge contradiction to Gaara's views, and overall life, that it had left the boy confused.

Something had to be wrong with the man in front of him, Gaara realized then.

"Thank you. Thank you so much, Gaara-kun," Tsutomu spoke.

Something was _very_ wrong with him.

"You saved my son. I can't thank you enough, I'm so grateful."

Gaara shook his head slowly at the man then. He understood now what it was Sakura told him earlier, that somewhere in the world someone would cry for the sake of a loved ones life. Yet, this didn't seem right. A father couldn't possibly love a son like this, could he? Surely Tsutomu shouldn't be this grateful to him. Didn't the old man know who he was? He had killed many and saved only one. Tsutomu shouldn't be thanking him, the man should be scowling instead, much like his own father does.

Gaara watched as Tsutomu raised his arms and reached for him. To the act, Gaara shook his head and took a quick step back.

"No," Gaara said with a shake in his voice.

Sakura looked down at Gaara then, surprised at what she saw on his face.

"Gaara," she murmured. "You're crying.

Yet, despite her voice. Gaara was transfixed at Tsutomu, who had still not lowered his arms. He still had sincerity and gratitude through his smile and eyes, and he still offered more to Gaara. It was not much longer before Gaara gripped at Sakura, looking for her support instead.

"Don't touch me," Gaara whispered, pleading to Tsutomu.

Yet, his eyes still had tears, and he continued to stare at Tsutomu as the man inched closer towards him.

"Gaara-kun," he said. "I can't thank you enough."

The boy gave a choked sobbed then, continued scooting himself into Sakura more, yet his eyes were curious and longing towards Tsutomu's invitation, and Sakura understood then and there where Gaara's forming tears had surfaced from.

' _He's afraid._ '

Afraid because of the lackluster relationship his father put forth with Gaara. Afraid because of the betrayal the came from Yashamaru, who was perhaps the last man who had reached out for him. Afraid because of Shukaku's lies and dark whispers that this man thought nothing of Gaara. Afraid because of all who had mistreated him thus far.

Gaara would go into battle with courage if needed to, he understood hate and anger. Yet, his young self feared instead the kindness in humanity, which was still a mystery to him. He feared the unknown, just like many others. Yet, it was a depressing thought that kindness and love was that unknown to Gaara.

Yet, it was still somewhere deep in his nature to embrace that love. He still wanted that kind-hearted acknowledgment others his age were privileged. Maybe, he thought, it would feel better if his existence was focused on better moments like this instead of the death and destruction he swore at times to bring. Maybe, even if he had a monster inside of him, others could acknowledge him still like any other.

He slowly reached his hand towards Tsutomu then, yet, as the man reached for him as well, Gaara gave a small whimper and once again pushed himself against Sakura. He brought his hand back and away, biting down lightly on it while trying to hold back his tears. He was so afraid of the meaning behind Tsutomu's reach. So very confused, and afraid, by the man in front of him now.

"Gaara-kun," Tsutomu whispered. "I'd never hurt you, especially after what you've done for my son. I just want to thank you..."

Gaara's wet eyes had turned back to the man then.

"...Please," Tsutomu asked.

Again, Gaara slowly brought his hand forward. He inched it closer towards the man, fingers still fidgeting in worry. Yet, as Tsutomu cupped Gaara's hand gently into his, dragging the boy towards him now, Gaara did nothing but continued to cry. Once the old man had embraced Gaara into a hug, the boy shook and cried even more loudly, and sand began to swift around his feet like the sway of water on a windy day.

He cried in fear, cried in confusion, cried remembering his father's wish and Yashamaru's hate. He cried because he wanted nothing more than to destroy this situation he did not understand, and his sand was ready to do just that if he wished it. Above all that though, he cried clinging to the man, because this was all he had ever wanted in his life. Even if he wasn't a relative, even if their relationship was scarce, Tsutomu was a man who acknowledged Gaara now in a good light. Something so few others had graced him with, and the thought that the man Gaara helped to save may still despise him, Gaara was inwardly joyful that Tsutomu recognized his goodness.

The boy wailed loudly in that hospital hallway, and even Sakura had to brush a few tears of her own at the sight.

"Thank you, Gaara-kun. You did good." Tsutomu whispered to the boy as held him and patted his head.

Good was something Gaara was taught he could never accomplish, yet he dove himself into that pool of praise, warmth, and peace Tsutomu suddenly brought him.

"You did good."


	32. Chapter 32

" _I live a different life._ _Just like you said_ "

…

" _But_ _I think it's one that I'm losing sight._ "

…

" _Something that I always wanted, but I was never allowed._ "

…

" _What is it you started?_ "

…

" _It's s_ _omething you left me to figure out._ "

…

" _I knew it would happen before you even_ _could_ _._ "

…

" _Is it because of what you did?_ "

…

" _Without you,_ _I don't think I'll ever see_ _._ "

…

" _That love you found in me._ "

* * *

Sakura laid flat on her back and stared at the yellow ceiling above her. She counted the many dark footprints that patterned the yellow textile with a small murmur to herself.

"I should clean those."

There was a furrow in her brow as she continued to stare up, and her previous thoughts returned then. The one of the scroll in Konoha, how she had all the means to go there soon and retrieve it with a little boy at her side. Everything sounded simple enough that it made her wonder if the outcome was what she wished for, a way back home.

' _At least it's something I can rule out if it doesn't work,_ ' she thought with a few blinks.

Then again, she thought, there indeed was a challenge in all this.

' _Rasa..._ ' she thought bitterly.

"Medicine time."

Sakura kept her gaze set on the ceiling still even when Gaara sat down next to her laying figure. Nonetheless, she listened to his instructions and opened her mouth wide.

Gaara held on to a small cup and used his free hand to grip the contents inside of it before placing it inside Sakura's mouth. She winced slightly at the cold sensation before her eyes turned to the boy.

"Ice?" she asked him.

"Kakigori," he replied. "I made it."

Sakura smiled softly at him then, and lifted some of herself off of the floor. Apparently the boy had forgotten the treat required the ice to be shaved and doused in sweet syrups. He pouted at her warm smile.

"You can't smile," he mumbled. "I haven't cured you yet."

"Ah, I'm so sorry," Sakura murmured, laying herself back flat on the floor. "Please continue, Doctor."

It had been like this ever since Sakura and Gaara had returned home from the hospital. After saving Ken'ichi, after Tsutomu's thanks, after she embedded into Gaara how significant it was that he helped to save a life, he had began spending his days playing role of a medic, and she, the patient. She had even managed to convince Baki to bring her a stethoscope for him. He used it now, placing the cool metal onto her stomach and listening. Sakura watched, trying to hold back a chuckle as Gaara listened to the sounds of her insides. His brows furrowed and eyes closed as he invested himself more and more to the foreign noise.

"No good," he told her as he whipped the instrument around his neck. "The kakigori did not work."

Sakura frowned, feigning a worried look.

"Is it that bad? Am I not going to make it?" she asked him.

Gaara was quiet for some time, staring hard at her facial features.

"Don't worry," he finally told her. "I'll definitely save you."

Sakura kept her facade, sighing in relief.

"Thank you," she told him. "I'm too young to go yet. I still have lots I want to do with this life."

Again, Gaara was quiet for some time. His passive gaze set entirely on her.

"You're not young..." he mumbled.

Sakura shot her head up then, eyes narrow and nose wrinkling.

"I'm only twenty!" she barked. "That's still young!"

Gaara only hummed to Sakura's words in thought before leaping back up to his feet. He went through his toy box before bringing Sakura back a plastic cookie.

"Try this," he said while offering her. "This medicine _will_ work."

She took the toy from him, pretending to nab a bite, chewing and then swallowing. She smiled back at him for a moment.

"I feel better," she told him. "Do you want to listen?"

She asked him while pointing back down to her stomach, but was surprised that Gaara placed the stethoscope on her chest this time. It wasn't the first time he listened to her heart, his fascination with it growing every time he listened to it, and he always opted the chance to listen to it when given. Sometimes even listening to himself and commenting how similar they had sounded.

" _You're just like me,_ " she had told him the first time. " _We have big hearts._ "

He grinned to her words then.

For now, his eyes furrowed for a moment, and Sakura readjusted the instrument until his eyes relaxed to the sound of her beat. It took him minutes to pull away before announcing,

"All better."

To that, Sakura reached for him, pulling him down to the floor with him and embracing him tightly.

"You saved me!" she beamed. "Thank you, Gaara!"

He began to laugh as Sakura rolled them around the floor, and once she stopped, they smiled while looking at one another.

"Open your mouth," she told him suddenly. "Let me check you now."

He didn't protest, didn't ask why, didn't scold her on her odd behavior, he instead did what she asked with a smile before. He watched while her fingers pressed his bottom lip to lower it a little more, and she studied the empty space there for some time before pulling back.

"Can you see it yet?" he asked her.

Sakura shook her head, but gave him a reassuring smirk.

"Don't worry," she told him. "Your new tooth will come soon."

"Another one will fall out too?" he asked her, recalling words she had told him before.

Sakura nodded.

"You'll lose many, but get new ones."

He didn't seemed fazed by this knowledge, just instead soaking in her words while looking at her.

"I'll show you what you do with a tooth once another comes out," Sakura smirked. "It takes magic to make the next one grow."

"Magic?" Gaara's eyes widened with amusement.

Sakura nodded.

"I'll show you next time," she told him.

"Promise?" he asked her.

"Promise," Sakura smiled.

Gaara hiccuped for a moment while in her arms still, and his eyes swam around the room as he thought.

"You have to do your first promise before that though," he told her with wishful eyes.

' _Ah, the cherry blossoms..._ ' Sakura thought.

The boy was right, and in truth, nothing was holding Sakura back from going and speaking to Rasa about the matter. She could even go now and explain the reasoning she had come up with to convince him to let them leave. Yet, somewhere inside of her, she knew departing for Rasa would be like departing for a battle. Though confident she would win, the fight that would come beforehand would be exhausting. She knew she would have to put up a fight convincing him to allow her to leave, and with Gaara nonetheless. The idea kept her rooted in the room, enjoying what she could with Gaara.

Still, she nodded.

"You want to see the cherry blossoms, don't you?"

Gaara nodded feverishly, and Sakura hummed in thought.

' _Honestly, they don't really grow in Konoha this time of year. Maybe in the greenhouse..._ '

She shook off that doubt. Despite it being cold this time of year in Konoha, a chance that they would meet snow, she was sure she could find the small plant somewhere within the village.

"We'll go soon," she told him with a smile.

He didn't ask when, didn't inquire when the soonest it could be, he instead smile appreciatively at Sakura, certain the rosette would keep her promise. As they lay quietly, Gaara still wrapped in Sakura's arms, the boy managed to pull his hand free from her grip and Sakura watched curiously as his hand reached for her head. His stare on her head was suddenly intuitive, and even if he reached for her forehead, he had yet to touch her skin.

"What's wrong?" she eventually asked him.

"Why do you paint a diamond on your head?"

Sakura blinked, and let go of the little boy to brush some strands of hair away from the mark, showing it off all the more.

"It's not paint," she told him. "You can touch it if you like."

She assumed that was the destination his hand was aiming towards anyway, and smiled as Gaara softly poked her forehead.

"It's your skin," Gaara murmured as he dragged his finger hard against the marking.

Sakura nodded with a smile.

"It's a seal," she told him.

Perhaps those words rang something familiar inside Gaara's mind, for he quickly drew his hand back and looked at Sakura bewildered before muttering.

"...There's something inside you too?"

Sakura chuckled and shook her head.

"No," she told him. "Nothing like that."

Despite her words, something sorrowful flashed within Gaara's eyes, and Sakura had a hunch of what it could be. Though it was something she would never be able to offer Gaara, she knew her blonde friend would one day be able to. An understanding of the monsters inside of them. Gaara perhaps had hopes Sakura could comprehend his pain by understanding what it was inside of him by having something evil inside of her too, but alas, her seal was for battle, and it would be much later before Gaara met a similar boy who truly understood his hardships.

In a way, it made Sakura wonder if she could truly comprehend all that the boy went through in the same light Naruto could. She began to doubt it, and again it made her think of the possibilities of Gaara seeking out Naruto's guidance to nurture him to an irenic nature. She told herself that idea didn't bother her, it didn't matter to her who it was who offered friendship and guidance to Gaara, yet she didn't stop herself from reaching for the boy and wrapping her arms back around him. Though he let her embrace him, Gaara continued to touch her seal.

"It never goes away? I've never seen anyone with it before," he commented.

Sakura smiled, holding him close still.

"It's unique to me and my teacher, just like your eyes."

Her words made Gaara's hand fall back and stare at the older woman.

"You have a teacher?" he asked.

Sakura blinked, thinking in her mind what all she could share with Gaara.

"I did," Sakura murmured with a nod of her head. "She is strong, and beautiful."

Sakura hummed in thought, thinking back more on Tsunade.

"She taught me to be a better person. She started me on the right path to be the woman I always wanted to be, the person I am now."

As her eyes went back down to Gaara's own curious ones, she couldn't help but smile at how similar her place was now for Gaara as Tsunade's had been for her. Then again, she remembered, her guidance also came from others like Kakashi where Gaara had only her.

"Is she nice?" he asked.

Sakura kept her smile strong even to that question. The boy looked now for the opportunity to meet someone new, and kind, despite the hurt and letdown Yashamaru and Annaisha had been to him. He searched for those who were kind like Sakura was to him, and thought no better place to start then with Sakura's own mentor. Yet, his face slowly fell as Sakura rolled her eyes up and grimaced in thought.

"She's...tough," Sakura said before forcing a smile back down towards the boy. "But she's kind in her own way."

Gaara only blinked, quiet for some time while staring at the rosette's eyes.

"Will your friends be mine?" he asked then.

It was Sakura's turn to blink in surprise.

' _Well, considering there all your age now than mine..._ '

Yet, at the same time, her thoughts fell back to his older self. To Naruto, and Lee, and Sasuke.

' _No...No,_ ' she remembered as Gaara and Sasuke's tense relationship came back to mind. ' _I don't even know if Sasuk_ _e_ _is allowed in Suna._ '

Her smile was strained this time at Gaara.

"I-I bet they would all love to meet you and be your friend...someday," she murmured.

She was surprised to see Gaara reach once again for the mark on her forehead, and he playfully pushed on it before repeating her words.

"Someday."

While he was quiet after that, in his mind was a tidal wave of words. Promises and hopes that he kept in store from Sakura. He would know many people, someday. He would have many people looking up to him, someday. He would be a leader, someday. She would be proud of him and his accomplishments, _everyday_.

"Someday," he whispered again, somewhat in an awed trance.

His realized then, his future was beginning to look just a little brighter with the passing days.

Sakura reluctantly let the small boy go as he tore himself away from her grip suddenly and raced instead for the door to his room. Always the first to sense someone heading towards his domain, Sakura turned her body and watched curiously as Gaara's smile turned to a grin. Before opening the door, he showed off that smile towards Sakura.

"Kankuro and Temari came to play!" he announced excitedly.

She didn't even have time to return his smile before the boy quickly opened the door, meeting his brother and sister before they could even knock.

"Yo," Kankuro spoke first, gesturing to his brother. "Look, I brought one of my puppets to show you."

The brunette held onto his wooden work while walking in but stopped short when he took notice of Sakura. At that point Kankuro quickly walked over towards the rosette.

"Hi, Sakaasan," Kankuro beamed. "Do you want to see the puppet I made?"

Sakura swallowed hard to the nickname he continued to use. She disliked it just as much as the first time hearing it, but nonetheless smiled towards the enthusiastic boy.

"Of course," she murmured, taking the small item as Kankuro offered it.

Behind him Temari had strolled in holding a folder behind her back.

"Hello Gaara," Temari had told her brother, and gently pat his head. "How are you doing today?"

Gaara said nothing as he stared at Temari before glancing to the parchment she held on to.

"What did you bring?" Gaara asked.

At this point, Sakura had returned the puppet to Kankuro with a shower of compliments.

"Show it to Gaara," she ushered him along back to his brother.

Kankuro was able to draw Gaara's attention back to him with his small work, leaving Temari to glide broadly towards the rosette. The young girl gently settled on a spot next to Sakura's laying form. It wouldn't be until Sakura spoke did Temari's stern frown morph to a smile.

"How is the princess of Suna today?" Sakura asked.

Temari giggled lightly to the title, but nonetheless puffed her chest out a little more proudly then. The most confident of the three children, no doubt, was the girl in a family a men, and it made Sakura smile all the more.

"I'm fine," she told Sakura. "But my training is on hold for some time."

The girl's face fell than to a pout, and she stared at the folder in her hands once again.

"Why?" Sakura asked. "Is Baki-san not feeling well?"

The little girl shook her head before returning a soft smile to Sakura.

"Nn," Temari said, now offering the folder to Sakura. "Father sent him on a mission."

Sakura's eyes went round, and she blinked towards Temari even while taking the folder.

"A mission?" she asked. "He didn't mention anything to me."

Then, she thought, why would he anyway, and looked down to what Temari offered her.

"What's this?" Sakura asked, opening the folder and pulling out parchments.

"Baki-san asked me to give it to you! He gave it to me yesterday, but told me to wait until today to give it you," Temari smiled. "He said the letter is from him, but otherwise the rest is something Chiyo-baasama wanted you have."

Sakura eyed the folder once more, realizing the seal on it had already been torn open.

"Someone was trying to read it before me..." Sakura murmured, eyes dragging up towards Temari's sitting form.

The girl's eyes found the side of the floor then, and she tried to hum nonchalant before speaking.

"Not me!" she eventually claimed. "I wouldn't be able to understand all those words and terms!"

It was Sakura's turn to hum, though in an unpleasant tone, while staring at Temari. The girl tried to pry into the world of adults, thinking she was another one among them and with the same mindset. Again, it was that overconfidence that made Temari think that way, and Sakura said nothing more as she began reading Baki's letter.

Sakura was surprised to read it thanking her. She had imagined all his gratitude had been heard at the hospital, but on the paper he emphasized what good she had done not only for the village but for the country as well, and that once he returned he would find some way to repay her. To those first short paragraphs, Sakura lowered the paper.

' _They must have been sent to search for Sasori,_ ' Sakura thought. ' _Ken'ichi must have remembered some key points, and they now have the antidote to counter Sasori's poison and possibly capture him._ '

To the thought, Sakura swallowed hard. Her battle with Sasori was no walk in the park, but she wanted to believe the team Rasa sent were only the best men. After all, even the Kazekage made mention how important it was to save Ken'ichi and learn the intel his team had found. She was sure Baki, and his team, would return triumphant.

Though he did not add any more detail of her, he thanked Sakura for all she had done with Annaisha. He mentioned that even if the young woman was set on her ways, she did speak fondly of Sakura with him, and he was glad to know Sakura had tried her best helping her. Yet, to these words, Sakura grimaced. It had been a while since Annaisha had crossed her mind, and she couldn't help but wonder if it was the same for Gaara.

' _He doesn't say anything about her… Does he wonder about her at all?_ '

Sakura stole a quick glance towards Gaara, happy to see a smile on his face as he and Kankuro played with a small puppet.

She returned to the letter as it finished with the mention that Chiyo had asked him to give her this folder despite his protest, and that Chiyo gave her thanks to her, as well as to Gaara. Finally, the letter ended with Baki asking Sakura to give both him, and Chiyo, well wishes as the old woman had pushed to be included on the team and was sent on the mission as well. To this info, Sakura's eyes went wide, and she had even jumped from the floor and rushed towards a window.

"Sakura, what's wrong?" Temari had asked, but the rosette remained silent.

Even Sakura wouldn't be able to answer that, instead she stared out of the village trying to view outside the walls. She knew it was in vain, as Baki and his team had probably left a long time ago, but her emerald eyes danced around the sand still trying to spot the team. She couldn't say what it was, or why she felt this way. Perhaps it was because of the connection between her, Chiyo, and Sasori, because for whatever reason the feeling of being left behind ached Sakura's heart, and she grew finicky at the thought of not being included finding a man she had helped to take down years ago.

She bit her lip thinking more about it.

' _I could go to Rasa and ask for information. Perhaps catch up to them..._ '

Yet, it was Gaara's own laughter within the room that reminded Sakura who she would be leaving behind if she took this route. Not to mention, as essential as Rasa had made it clear to Baki and Chiyo to save Ken'ichi's life, and as clear-cut as Baki had made it to Sakura that Rasa would not welcome her as an outsider saving lives in the hospital, she imagined Rasa would hold back discussing the mission with her as much as possible.

Sakura decided then that she would simply have to rely on the two, and the team, to come back unharmed and with an accomplished mission.

"Good luck," she whispered before turning away from the window.

She glanced back down at the folder, remembering Baki's words in the letter. Chiyo had pushed Baki to give her this folder, and it made her wonder what the contents inside could be. There were a few papers, and it took Sakura some time to figure out what it all was as names, and dates, had been scribbled out on some parts while others were completely whited out.

' _These are medical_ _charts,_ ' she realized.

And as some names began to appear, even quotes from people, Sakura realized then it she was reading Shukaku's sealing, Gaara's birth, and Karura's death. Sakura was lost into the papers as she re-read over and over the process Chiyo and her team used to seal Shukaku within Gaara while he was within his mother's still. She read about Karura's concern over the act, but nonetheless agreed to the sealing so long as it meant Gaara was safe and it was for the greater cause of the village like the councilmen presented. She read how Gaara was born premature, how he came into this world so weak and without any sound. She read how complications led to Karura's death, and also how Karura was quoted saying how she would watch over and protect Gaara always while holding him as she passed.

' _PPH?_ ' Sakura assumed as Karura's death, though the cause of death had been scratched out.

Even then, the more the rosette thought about it, no doubt the sealing had taken a toll on Karura to some degree. The council had promised Karura that Gaara would be born safe, but nothing more, and with a secret price to pay. Sakura bit her lip again at the thought.

' _Selfish,_ ' she thought. ' _Men and women who place their village higher than a life._ '

More interesting to her, as Sakura was well aware of Karura's true feelings towards Gaara as well as her death, was reading how the medical team came to learn of Gaara's powers. Vaccine through needles were impossible for a baby Gaara, they were quick to learn that Gaara's protective sand was associated with pain, and while the conclusion for this sand shield being was because of Shukaku's presence, there would be two men who said otherwise. Two men who would say it was through Karura that Gaara had this inexpiable protection. Even Sakura sided in her mind that Gaara's self-aware sand came through Shukaku, but suddenly retracted that thought as she remembered the Gaara of her own time.

' _His sand still protects him unconditionally, right?_ ' she thought, trying to remember watching him battle.

However, it would be one of those times again Sakura wished she had taken the liberty to learn of the Kazekage of her world. Being here now, trying to figure out so much of the little boy, Sakura was slowly realizing she hadn't spared any time to visit Gaara, to speak with him and perhaps understand his past and perspectives now.

' _What will I even do now?_ ' she wondered. ' _How will I even approach Gaara once I return? Do I even tell him all that has happened?_ '

"Sakura?"

Sakura blinked before turning her eyes back towards Temari. The girl held eyes of worry before speaking again.

"Are you alright? You seem...lost."

And it would be Temari's words, her aura of concern, that would make a small, redheaded boy halt his laughter for the moment as he too turned to eye Sakura and assess whatever it was Temari had noticed. And it would be Gaara's teal gaze Sakura would stare at now as she wondered, thought, asked herself, what would he share, or what stories would he tell her, when she met Gaara once again years and years later once they were near the same age again.

What would she tell him?

' _Does he even know that his mother loves him?_ '

How deep were the secrets she learned here compared to the knowledge Gaara of her own time had? Did he even know his mother's song, she wondered. Did he know that two men claimed his mother guarded him through her love?

Did he know that his father…?

As Gaara's apathetic gaze sunk to a sad frown, worried by Sakura's silence, the young woman quickly shook her head. Instead of questions, a resolve found her. A strong one that coursed through her even when she skimmed through the papers once more, just to be certain. Once done, she set the papers down while turning towards Temari in all seriousness.

"Will you three be alright on your own?"

Temari's eyes widened to the question, and even Gaara's had rounded with worry, but Sakura's serious gaze told her that the answer she needed now was a yes. Slowly, the girl nodded, understanding in some light. However, she still asked the questions she needed to reassure herself that she would indeed be alright with her youngest brother.

"How long?" Temari asked.

"Not long," Sakura answered. "I just need to speak with someone."

Silence followed, Temari was nervous, Gaara began to panic, and Kankuro tried to comprehend the situation his siblings seemed to tense to. Of course they would be alright, Kankuro thought.

"W-What do I do if..." Temari began, but was stopped by Sakura before she could utter a name.

"You find me," she told him. "No one else. Just me."

It felt like time was suddenly moving too quickly for the girl, but she nonetheless nodded towards Sakura in understanding.

"It will be alright," Sakura said instead with a smile.

Temari tried to copy that smile with some of her confidence morphing it as well.

"U-Un," she replied. "We'll just play together until you come back."

Sakura nodded approvingly before stepping towards the door, but to her few, small steps, Gaara had made big ones that rushed to stop her.

"Where are you going?!" he asked.

And as Sakura looked back down at him, she could see the fear in his eyes. Fear of her departure, fear that her guidance would be lost once she left. Fear that she may not return.

"I'll be back soon, I promise," she said, reaching to stroke his hair.

Gaara stepped back from her touch, instead shaking his head.

"You have to let me come. I-I go where you go!"

Sakura smiled sympathetically at the boy. The last time she had brought him along to the same place she was going now, he had begged her not to force him to go inside. To her silent smile, Gaara continued to shake his head, and he, in time, realized she wouldn't be convinced to bring him along. So, instead, he slowly drew to her and embraced her leg.

"Promise me you'll come back."

She knelt to his level, pulling him into a tight hug,

"You know I will," she told him. "I'd never leave you."

He held onto her tighter, despite her words. He held on, yet knowing he would have to let go.

"And, when I do get back, I think we should get Kakigori."

Gaara said nothing until Sakura playfully tickled him, and he did giggle a little before returning her smile.

"Let's bring Kankuro and Temari too!" Gaara said, making Sakura grin at his selfless display.

"You're so smart, Gaara," she told him. "That's a great idea."

Sakura embraced him once more, telling him to behave for his brother and sister before the boy reluctantly stepped aside and watched Sakura depart.

"Come back soon, Sakura," he had told her.

With those words, the thought that Gaara was away from her, drove the rosette all the more to her destination. She did not walk, did not jog, but instead ran to the tallest building in the village. Before long, her mind went back to the papers she had just read.

' _Two men believe Karura's love is what protects Gaara._ '

Walking into the building, Sakura didn't even address the secretary or workers there who asked for her purpose.

' _Two men had tried to convince Karura that sealing Shukaku while she was pregnant was a terrible idea, and had begged her to reconsider._ '

Two guards stopped Sakura in front of her destination.

"Turn back," they had told her. "Unless he is expecting to see you, you have no business here."

' _One of those men knows my skills. Knows my medical mind, and has felt my strength._ '

Sakura didn't even glance at the ones stopping her, instead she used her strength to push them both roughly away.

"Move!" she had told them before opening and waltzing through the door. "You're in my way."

Sakura's eyes narrowed as she met eyes with Rasa while he sat behind his desk. Their last encounter felt so long ago, and the discussion she thought would follow never happened. Rasa had kept his distance from her, and surprisingly was not at all flustered by her appearance now, nor the damage she had done to the building.

"Sakura," was all he said to greet her, and even nodded his head.

' _This man..._ ' Sakura thought. ' _Has been using me._ '

It made all the more sense now as she stood here staring at Rasa. Annaisha's words spoke a little more clearly to her now. Chiyo-baasama's warning that there were other ways to get rid of a problem was something she finally understood. Even Shiori's sudden disappearance became all the more clear.

"You're trying to kill Gaara," Sakura finally spoke.

It wasn't a question. The pieces for Sakura were finally coming into place. And even if this accusation was a big one, one that should rock a father about his son, Rasa remained nonchalant and said nothing to disprove Sakura's words.

And yet.

And yet…

Sakura took Kakashi's teachings to heart now.

" _Look underneath the underneath._ "

Rasa knew her strength. Rasa knew her ability to heal. Could see a connection to Gaara she had developed early on. He had warned her when Gaara would be at his worst when the full moon came.

He needn't have done that.

He brought to her a worn down Gaara, emphasizing to her with words that made her cautious that night of Annaisha's attack.

He needn't have done that.

He had placed her into a home full of secrets that were easily accessible by her.

He needn't have done that.

He kept her.

He needn't have done that.

Sakura bit her lip, bowing her head some. Her words seemed to barely strike the man in front of her, his careless attitude towards her and his son spoke how much he cared about the situation around him. They were nothing to him, just two people he placed together who he would not bat an eye for.

His actions, as Sakura finally learned now, said something else than his attitude did. This time, as Sakura made another claim, the man in front of her finally did shuffle in his seat.

"You used me..." she whispered. "...to keep Gaara alive."


	33. Chapter 33

Love seemed to become more of a mystery, day by day, for Sakura.

She lived with a child who claimed her affection and attention. She couldn't even fathom the thought of destroying that which had so much life in him. He smiled, he laughed, he played, he considered, he dreamed.

One day, he would love.

And oh how abundantly clear was it to her that Gaara would care and love one day. If she thought deeper on the idea, she was sure Gaara, many others as well, viewed her just the same way.

That she loved.

Never in her life would she imagine to meet her opposite. A man with no regards to those who he should be closest with. A man who would order, who he could, to be rid of his youngest son. A man who took no time to teach Gaara his past errors and lead him down a path of perseverance. The man in front of her, who only stared Sakura straight on as she made claims, was her opposite.

This man _hate_ _d_.

…

At least, that was the sort of man Rasa had shown himself to be in front of Sakura. That's what was outwardly displayed as he sat behind his desk full of papers instead of sitting at home with his children. But she had looked, and she had learned, and she met the right people that made her finally delve in deeper to understand the man in front of her. So repulsed was she she by his distant display, especially to those who needed him most, his children, that she purposely pushed the cold man from her thoughts. Never did she want to understand a man who never smiled at his children.

Lucky, for Rasa, that had been exactly what he wanted from Sakura. For her to play her role, and leave him and his business alone; she had inadvertently become Rasa's perfect pawn.

...But from his game did she now stop and reevaluate her opponent. She stepped back from that happy, little corner he was driving her into to rethink her move. She now understood Rasa's ulterior motive.

Her strength and wisdom meant so much more to him placing her with his son than it would assigning her work at the hospital or the labs. She realized now, Rasa put her with Gaara not only to protect others from him, but to protect him from others.

From Chiyo's charts she just shared with Sakura, the rosette would learn of Rasa, along with Yashamaru, begging Karura not to go forth sealing a monster inside the baby to come. She would read of the countless nights Rasa spent awake caring for his son, as a baby, when no medical team dared draw near before his uncle took up the task for his sister's sake. And as Sakura replayed in her mind the numerous, countless, of times Rasa informed Sakura over and over not to leave Gaara alone or out of her sights, she began to understand the concern behind those words came for Gaara's sake instead of his people. He had found his loophole around the council's orders through her. She knew now...

Rasa loved.

"Sakura," he finally replied to her accusation. "...Would you care for some tea?"

To this, Sakura sighed lightly. She should have known better to see the man admit to her claims, but she also noted that he didn't rebuttal them. He continued his act, she liked to think, and said nothing as he poured himself a cup. She watched him sip at the warm liquid, smacking his lips some before turning his head to the side of him. He stared out towards the window, watching the setting sun.

"There is not a more beautiful view of a sunset than in this country," he whispered.

Surprising to her, he even looked back at her and drew her attention to follow where he was pointing.

"Tell me," he began, "where you've seen a more colorful sunset, I don't think you could."

Sakura was silent and only glanced at the sun before looking at the man. He continued to stare longingly towards the orange and pink glow while sipping on his tea quietly.

"Now..." he whispered. "If only I could match the village with that beauty."

Sakura swallowed hard, not from the man's words, but instead bracing herself for the argument she was sure to follow.

"I would like to take Gaara with me to visit Konoha."

Her stare on him was hard. She expected a quick refusal, she expected wide eyes filled with anger and surprise, she expected a disgraceful laughter on his part as he pointed out to her that his answer would forever be no. Instead, he continued to stare out towards the window, sipping his tea again before speaking.

"Konoha..." he whispered, with almost a hiss.

Despite this, he spoke loudly with words meant for her to hear.

"Why Konoha?" he asked before turning his chair back around to face Sakura.

His unsettling smirk returned, and it was aimed towards her. Like a predator watching their prey, his fangs eventually showed as he asked with a smile.

"Do you have ties with that village, traveler? Secrets you'd like to share with me?"

Rasa could love, Sakura decided then, but she knew his love didn't proceed towards her, and he was still looking for whispers to help keep this village from crumbling any more. He was, and never would be, looking out for her best interest. So, to his question, Sakura shook her head, trying to keep her demeanor calm.

"I understand you're low with certain supplies for your greenhouse. I was going to offer my services to retrieve the specimens, but only if Gaara can accompany me."

"Ah, that's right," Rasa said. "Baki had told me you were the one to save Ken'ichi."

Sakura's eyes went round. Baki had led her to believe he wanted to keep her help a secret just as much as she had wished.

"Baki came here requesting I place you on the team, or place you in the hospital instead of with Gaara," Rasa continued.

He stared up at Sakura then, once again smirking at her somewhat shocked features.

"Something tells me that isn't what you want… Nor do I," he whispered. "You can only imagine what humiliation it brings me knowing you saved someone my medical team couldn't. You, who I know nothing about. _You_ , who came here claiming you're tied to no village. Do you know how frustrating it is knowing the rest of the world is so far more advanced outside my home?"

Sakura was quiet, and could somewhat sympathize the man's words then. She, too, had once felt so behind. Behind Sasuke, behind Naruto, with no idea how to reach their level. Luckily for her, she had found her path, making her the strong woman she was today. Luckier for Rasa, even if he would be gone before it happened, it would be Gaara to better the village.

As Sakura kept silent, Rasa decided best to return to her question.

"And the reason to bring Gaara along would be..." Rasa murmured, ushering Sakura to reveal what the true intent here was.

To which, Sakura sighed again. She could elaborate the important role she had with the boy. That he listened to her more than others, that she was the only one who had a means to control his mood swings. But then, she thought, he would easily dismiss her saying that he didn't need her, and would instead send another one of his men to retrieve the items, or ask Konoha to send one of theirs. So, instead, she spoke a far more important reason why. A reason she felt more true to her heart.

"I want to show him what is outside the walls," she spoke clearly. "I want to show him the world his mother wanted him to see."

Her words had manage to freeze Rasa for a moment, holding his cup still on his parting lips, before he composed himself and downed the warm liquid again. Sakura knew then Rasa was well aware of the words written by Karura in her song for her children.

"I see," he answered her before setting the cup back under him.

After that, he was quiet for some time, and Sakura's heart raced watching the man actually considering her request. Yet, it would only take a few seconds longer before even he realized his foolishness for absorbing her words, and he began to snicker before rubbing his temple.

"This..." he murmured before opening his eyes towards the rosette. "This can't be why the reason you came here, Sakura. Even you should be able to see the extremity of what you're asking for. Gaara's acts would lead to war."

Sakura balled her fingers to fists then, eyes narrowing at the man. Yes, she understood the danger Gaara could be. If the release of Shukaku, or if Gaara's sand made any attempt on someone important, inside of Konoha happened she was well aware the consequences to come.

"I'd take responsibility," she told them then. "If something happens let their punishment fall onto me."

Rasa sighed.

"Sometimes that solution is not so simple-" he began before Sakura cut him off.

"Gaara will do no harm there!" she claimed, placing her hand on her chest. "That is something I can promise! He behaves with me. He listens to me. He knows what would be expected of him if he is allowed to go."

She watched as Rasa closed his eyes and began rubbing his temple hard. He groaned loudly before speaking.

"Sakura, just when I think you can't surprise me anymore by saying, or asking for, something more stupid, here you are now."

Sakura grounded her teeth to his undermining words.

"There will be a day Gaara will go outside these walls regardless whether you allow him to or not!" Sakura yelled. "Would you rather him do it alone, or with someone who has been capable to keep him check?!"

Rasa sighed again, turning his eyes once more towards the sunset. By now, twilight was disappearing, and the stars and moon were awaking. He remained quiet, seconds turning into minutes.

"Karura would want Gaara to see the beauty of the world."

"Please," Rasa suddenly whispered, and it was his manner that made Sakura's eyes widen. "Speak no more of Karura with me, Sakura. It is a wound still."

The pain was more than evident in his words, and it hit Sakura hard knowing how much this man had loved his wife. She couldn't imagine being placed in his shoes, knowing she had lost someone so dear to her like Sasuke or Naruto.

"Then let me instead fall back to your promise. The one you made when you ordered me to watch Gaara."

To her words, Rasa turned his head back to meet her eyes somewhat.

"Help me and I will help you, that's what you said. I had no intention of asking for anything when it came to helping Gaara, but if this is something you'll give me, than I ask you reward me now for doing all I have done for your son. Or at least let this be your thanks for saving Ken'ichi," Sakura spoke, crossing her arms.

Rasa simply blinked at her before turning his eyes once more back towards the sunset.

"You know..." he began after sometime. "Today is the anniversary."

Sakura blinked, unsure what his words had meant.

' _Anniversary?_ ' she thought, trying to pinpoint this date.

Yet, the more she dawdled on the thought in silence, in answer came to her and her eyes widened in surprise and whipped fast to stare at Rasa's back.

' _Could he mean today is the same date Karura_ _died all those years ago. Then it's Gaara's…!_ '

"You would need to be gone and back before the council even realizes Gaara is outside of Suna."

Sakura's thoughts vanished as she heard Rasa begin explaining to her. Had he just agreed? Her heart began to race so fast then, and she strained her ringing ears to here Rasa's demands.

"There will be a date I expect you to return," he told her. "If you two are not back by that date then I'll send my men after you and treat this as a kidnapping. Wherever I find you, whether it be Konoha or somewhere else, I'll assume your ties with them and hold them responsible as well."

Rasa turned to face Sakura then, his stern, apathetic gaze returning.

"I don't think I need to remind you how serious of a crime it is considered kidnapping the Kazekage's child. Let alone the one who hosts the Ichibi."

Sakura could barely control her emotions then, and even despite his warning, despite his words, a grin formed across her face.

"No Sir!" she replied ecstatically.

Yet, despite her gaze, Rasa remained unmoved.

"Stop by the hospital to see what they are in need of from Konoha, or what requests Konoha has made from us. Make yourself a list, and I'll work on the paperwork and your passports. You'll depart as soon as all that is ready, do I need to repeat?"

Sakura shook her head, still unable to contain her smile.

"No," she smiled. "No, I understand completely."

Rasa would be silent staring at Sakura's smile for some time, falling back to Baki's words from long ago.

" _She will smile in his direction._ "

Naive, foolish, time would change her, Rasa had these thoughts at the time. Gaara would show her his dark path, and he expected her to run away at any given day. Only was it now, he realized, she still had her smile.

' _Karura,_ ' he thought to himself. ' _Let this be what you want for our child._ '

He tried to give himself strength through his late wife's wishes. For how big of a mistake this could all possibly turn out. Yet, before his second thoughts could overturn his decision, he ushered the girl away.

"You're dismissed," Rasa told her before turning back to the papers under him.

"Thank you," Sakura whispered. "Thank you so much. You don't realize how much this will mean to Gaara."

Rasa only swallowed upon hearing those words. He remained silent working on his papers still.

"Go, the boy should not have been left on his own."

Sakura understood then the underlying message, taking one last look at the man.

"Thank you, Rasa."

Before his eyes could even find hers, Sakura was out the door and back on the streets. She still couldn't contain the smile of her face, and swore she had a few skips to her run back home. She grinned and chuckled to herself as she realized she had won the battle.

' _I did it!_ ' she thought happily. ' _We can go to Konoha with nothing to worry about. I can show Gaara the cherry blossoms. I can get the scroll and go back home!_ '

Yet, to that last thought, her steps slowed until she completely stopped. She stood there, frozen, in the sandy road as her eyes tracked the grains under her.

"I can go home."

She repeated these words not because of the importance, but because, for the first time of thinking this thought once again in her mind, her heart ached gravely. Even the thoughts of her friends and family back home, who were probably anxiously looking for her now, wasn't strong enough to push the image down of Gaara's sad face when she said her final goodbye.

"I can go home," she repeated, trying hard to find the joy in that.

Instead she saw the little boy desperately reaching for her.

"Back to my family."

She could see his eyes watering.

"Back to my friends."

She could see him shaking as tears rolled down his face.

"Back to Naruto."

She could see him wailing and begging her not leave him all alone.

"Back to Sasuke-kun."

She could see the hurt she would do to him.

"Gaara."

Sakura sighed, finally forcing her slow steps to return her back to the little boy. She reminded herself that the scroll was not an absolute answer, that she may be wrong that the small parchment held any significance to her time travel. She did this not only to prepare herself for disappointment, but because the thought of Gaara sunk her spirits. She told herself then not to think of it now, that as soon as she was certain she would be able to return home she would prepare the boy so that he understood her goodbye. All of this needn't happen until after their return from Konoha.

' _Smile,_ ' she told herself as she approached Gaara's room. ' _This is a happy moment! You can show Gaara Konoha without any worries._ '

She did force a smile, and only did it turn genuine when she watched Gaara's door opening before she even knocked, and to her did the little boy with red hair run and embrace her with a smile of his own. He buried his head into her, and she stroked his messy, red locks before speaking.

"Did you behave and listen to your brother and sister?"

Not pulling back from the hug, the boy answered with a nod of his head instead of verbally replying.

"You're a good boy, Gaara. Thank you for waiting for me and listening to your older siblings." Sakura murmured, still stroking his hair.

Time moved, but the boy didn't, and Sakura sighed with a smile.

"Will you let me go now? There's something I need to look for."

He answered her with a shake of his head, and his hug tightening.

"Fine," Sakura told him. "Have it your way."

Sakura began using her feet to pick the boy's feet on top of her own and carried his weight back towards the room. The boy pulled his head back then and laughed to the action. Once in the room was when Gaara released Sakura, and the rosette turned her eyes to the other children. Kankuro's eyes brightened like Gaara's upon seeing her, and even Temari had a small glimmer of relief shine to her return.

"Welcome back, Sakaasan," Kankuro grinned.

Before Sakura could reply, Gaara was tiptoeing his way back towards his brother with wonder in his mind.

"Why do you call her that?" Gaara asked his brother curiously. "It's not Saakasan, it's Sa-ku-ra."

The older boy blushed to Gaara's teaching, and he blustered at the small boy.

"I know that! It's a nickname. Nick-name!" he huffed.

To Kankuro's tone, Gaara sneered.

"I don't like it. Quit using it."

As the two boy's bickered, Sakura knelt down to Temari's sitting position.

"Leave him alone, Kankuro!" the girl scolded before turning to meet with Sakura.

"Did he behave?" Sakura asked.

Temari hummed in thought, turning her eyes towards the gourd.

"Some of his sand came out once you left, and he seemed scared and just waited by the door for you."

Despite her troubling words, Temari smiled lightly while watching her brother's yell at one another still.

"-But Kankuro just took his hand and led him back to play, and everything was alright after that."

Sakura grinned as she imagined the scenario Temari just explained before the blonde lifted an eyebrow towards Sakura. Despite what Sakura imagined of Temari earlier, a little girl trying to push herself into the adult world, the rosette realized then that Temari might actually teeter more closely to her world of understanding than she initially thought.

"Everything is alright?" the girl asked.

Temari, still a little vague as to what it was Sakura needed addressed, had her assumption that it had been her father Sakura went to but she couldn't be clear on the thought unless Sakura told her so.

' _More than alright,_ ' Sakura thought on her mind.

Instead of saying that though, she leaned in to whisper to the girl.

"It's Gaara's birthday."

She expected the girl's eyes to light up some to the idea, but alas, Temari only smiled sadly towards the ground quietly. It was then Sakura realized that Temari was just as aware as the anniversary today as much as their father ha been by her glum smile. Yet, the girl offered an explanation.

"I suppose this day always held one meaning for me growing up," Temari murmured before her eyes fell back towards her brothers. "But...I'll be sure to remember the other from now on."

Temari turned to offer a sheepish smile towards Sakura, hoping the rosette could sense her sincere change. Of course, Sakura smiled back, nodding approvingly to Temari's words of wisdom.

"I'm sure Gaara wants to remember what this day is for his mother as well now."

Temari nodded with a simple reply.

"Un."

Only after did Sakura pick herself up, and began reaching for a bag she had secretly hid. Though finished long ago, only now did she pull out the blue object she had once feverishly worked on for days.

"It's so tiny," Sakura mumbled, cradling it in her hand.

She had been creating a stuffed bunny. The idea had struck her the first time she watched that obnoxious video alongside Gaara. It had been the first time she had seen Gaara's eyes shine in awe as he stared at that rabbit superhero, and she was quick buying supplies and gathering what help she could into creating the little thing. Yet, even if she purposely made the doll look differently than the one in the video, she grimaced at its size and obvious flaws. One ear was longer than the other, it's legs were different lengths, and one of his arms had more stuffing than the other. She was surprised the simple small beads that were its eyes had continued to hang on as they jostled to the slightest of movement. Not to mention, the doll itself brought back a painful thought. Memories of Annaisha guiding Sakura onto its creation danced in her mind suddenly, and the rosette had to swallow hard to cast the brunette out of her mind.

"This is pathetic," Sakura chuckled at herself.

Yet, it was all she had. So, even if the option to go out and return with something crossed her mind, or the chance to start anew and making something better presented itself, she decided the doll would have to make due for now as the day was already coming to an end. Not to mention, she still had one more present to share with him. One she was sure he would be enthusiastic about.

Sakura called to the boy, beckoning him to come near. She hid the small toy in her hands, behind her back, and smiled as Gaara's cautious stare tried to decipher whatever it was Sakura was aiming to do.

"Come closer," she told him as he took a step away from her.

Still cautious of the hate-filled world, still wary that hands hidden behind backs held daggers, he drew close to Sakura from her call. With her, there were no worries, and his forwardness was rewarded as soon as she opened her hands to show off the doll in her palm. Gaara said nothing staring at the small toy, but to ease some of Sakura's worries, she was glad to see the boy's eyes light up to the new toy. Despite his intelligence, Gaara was still a child who saw no flaw in a plaything.

"That's a tiny rabbit," he commented, still not taking the toy from Sakura.

"It's yours," Sakura replied.

She smiled at him as Gaara's eyes looked up towards Sakura. She could see him grin appreciatively.

"I made it. Just for you."

Now his eyes twinkled with amusement.

"You made this...When?"

Despite the question, his hands reached for the small, blue bunny, and he cradled it gently against his chest before looking back up towards Sakura. To his question, Sakura hummed a little. For the doll had taken up lots of her time. _Lots_. And she realized just how fast time was passing her. She had started this small project of hers with a selfless heart. She had made this toy long before she had gained the boy's full trust. Once upon a time, when she first began pulling needle through blue fabric, Gaara still glared at the rosette without trust. Yet, even if she was aware of his distaste towards her, she continued to do her best simply to watch the little boy's smile and eye's light up like they were now, even if it meant just for a brief moment.

Even back then she had enough heart in her to try to make a sad little boy feel just a little bit better.

Fast-forward to now, and the thought of Gaara now, so sweet, so kind, so appreciative towards her made Sakura gently smile towards the boy.

"Not that long ago," she lied. "I made it real quick for you."

More selfless words, for she didn't want to trouble the boy into thinking her small project had been tedious and strenuous for her. Gaara turned his eyes back towards the doll, staring at it quietly. Sakura's heart melted as she watched the boy give the small bunny a tight hug.

"Thank you, Sakura," he spoke as he turned his towards her.

"You're welcome, Gaara," she told him.

She was happy to see, despite its many flaws, that Gaara continued to stare down at the doll with admiration and a smile. As he continued to stare at it, Sakura used the moment to kneel down to his level. His eyes didn't go to her until she reached for him. His gaze widened as Sakura slowly dragged the boy towards her and embraced him tightly. He nestled his head against her shoulder as she sighed in content to the embrace. It was almost too perfect of a moment for her; His siblings were by his side. He was finally given good recognition from others. He knew of his mother's love. His father was going to allow them to visit Konoha soon. Above all of that, he was happy.

Gaara was happy.

Time had helped change him. In her mind, could Sakura picture the confused, angry, scared little boy who she met sitting on the bed. His father telling him who she was, and her role to him now. Never would she have thought her teachings and affection would lead up to his point as he too sighed in contentment at Sakura's hold.

He grinned.

He smiled.

He laughed.

He showed emotions.

Time had changed him, and as Sakura thought more on this, she realized he wasn't the only one who had changed. She had wanted nothing to do with the boy in the beginning. Not because she held distaste for Gaara, but simply because she knew of the man he would one day be. Gaara had found his place without her, and she instead focused on a way to return home. Despite her goal remaining the same, the thought of ever ignoring the boy's pleas now like she had in the beginning made her stomach twist painfully in a knot.

Time had changed her. It had given her guidance and love in outlet to a once sad, lonely boy who clung onto her, and while she would call the Gaara of her time an ally and nothing more, she would forever call this little boy one of her best friends. She had learned to selflessly put aside some of her priorities just to make a small child smile and laugh even when she knew he didn't need her for that.

She had changed. He had changed.

They had become a better person through one another, and time.

Even with one another, time had become their next ally along with growth.

Time had been wonderful to them, and even manipulated itself to give these two a happier story.

Even as it continues to tick, threatening to change it all with every passing second, time lets them smile now while holding each other.

"Happy Birthday, Gaara."

Her whisper to him made him gasp and open his eyes. He even pulled back from her hold, just to make sure her eyes held truth.

"It's my birthday?" he asked, surprised Sakura's aware of the date.

She nodded with a smile, and Gaara couldn't help but turn his eyes towards his sister then. Even if Sakura had wished him a happy birthday, he expected ill eyes to look towards him for what he had stolen this day years ago. Yet, from Temari, the girl smiled gently.

"Happy Birthday, Gaara," Temari said. "Let's have a big party for your next one!"

' _Party? Next one? You'll be there by my side still?_ ' he thinks, still unbelieving that he is given smiles on this day.

Despite his questions, he remains silent, this time turning to Kankuro just to be sure there is no sneer from his big brother. After all, it wasn't that long ago they were willing in their minds to trade Gaara back for their mother. However, as he spots Kankuro's giant, toothy grin, Gaara's eyes grow even more round.

"Happy Birthday, Gaara," Kankuro chuckles before placing his hands behind his head. "Show me your doll later and I'll make it dance for you!"

Kankuro fidgets his fingers, showing Gaara what he means by his words.

At all of these smiles and wishes, Gaara turns his head back down to the doll in his hands. He is quiet for some time, pursing his lips some before jumping towards Sakura and initiating the hug this time.

"Thank you!" he cried loudly, holding her tighter with the passing seconds. "Thank you so much, Sakura."

It is then, Sakura realized, that Gaara is thanking her for so much more than just the doll in his hands.

So, so much more. And as he will learn later, she still has so much more to give.

…

Sakura kept her voice quiet the rest of the night, watching and laughing along with the children instead as they played together and teased one another. Even Sakura sneaked away to bring them all back a sweet treat to celebrate Gaara's knew age. There is no reprimand from the woman tonight as she allows them to indulge and stay awake late into the night with treats and loud laughter.

Eventually the two children grew tired, despite protests they are not, and Sakura convinced them to return to their beds, but not before they have said their peace.

"Goodnight, Sakura," Temari speaks first, and she is surprised the girl reaches her for a hug. "Thank you for always listening to me."

Temari bids her youngest brother another congratulations, and hugs him tightly while wishing him good night. It will be the first time she does this, but she also gives Gaara a small peck on his cheek. She and Sakura chuckle as Gaara's eyes widen to the act, and he becomes stiff. The faintest of pink lights up his cheeks, but he says nothing and only moves again to be rid of his blush once he hears his brother mumble.

"Gross! Why do girl's always want to kiss? It's nasty!"

Kankuro comes next to Gaara, and everyone is surprised to see him pull his brother in for a hug.

"Thanks for always playing with me, Gaara. Happy Birthday," Kankuro tells him.

And Gaara thinks it ironic that his brother is thanking him. _Him_. It should be the other way around, with him thanking Kankuro. However, Gaara remains quiets, and watches his brother pull away to turn to Sakura.

"Goodnight, Sakaasan," Kankuro tells her.

"Goodnight, Kankuro," Sakura speaks while kneeling her face close towards the boy.

Before the brunette can even ask what it is she is doing, Sakura plants a gentle kiss of her own on Kankuro's cheek. Like Gaara, the boy's eyes round, and he is frozen by Sakura's kiss. It is Temari and Sakura once again giggling to the boy's response.

"You don't look that grossed out, Kankuro," Temari mocks him before grabbing his hand and leading him back to their rooms.

"S-Shut up!" Kankuro cries as he pulls his hand away from Temari. "It was different that time!"

Sakura smiles, watching the two children disappear down the hall before closing the door behind them.

Now that she is alone with Gaara, Sakura can barely contain her excitement as she grins towards Gaara at the thought of the news she is about to share with him. She kneels to him, waving her hand to bring him closer.

"Come here," she tells him.

And he comes, eyes curious as he knows the woman has something suddenly important to tell him.

"I have another present for you," Sakura smiles.

"Is-is it a kiss too?" he asks sheepishly.

Sakura laughs then.

"No," she tells him before taking a hold his hands.

Despite his secret wish then, Gaara continues to smile as Sakura holds their hands up together. For her, the act is just routine as she is about to relay good news. For Gaara though, who stares at their embrace, her touch is so much more meaningful, yet his eyes do fall up towards the woman eventually, and he shows off his biggest grin yet as she tells…

"I'm taking you to see the cherry blossoms!"


	34. Chapter 34

" _I want to know if you_ _are_ _alright._ "

…

" _I want to know if you wonder about me._ "

...

" _Sometimes I lie down on the floor._ "

...

" _A_ _nd I listen to the sounds._ "

...

" _I do_ _not_ _want to make the footsteps out._ "

...

" _I want to imagine they_ _are_ _yours passing by my door._ "

...

" _I don't feel right._ "

* * *

Time…

It moved almost too quickly for Sakura the next few days, and it began as Gaara patted her face gently to wake her.

"What is it?" she had asked him with a tired groan.

He pointed with a blank stare towards the door.

"Someone is coming," he told her before returning to play with his new blue doll on the floor.

She paid his words little mind until he spoke carefree once again.

"Someone new. Someone we do not know."

She hopped out of the bed fast then, worried for the child's sake even if he gave it no mind. As she opened the door, she was greeted by a fidgeting, young woman. Dressed in her ninja attire, she shrieked and jumped back as Sakura opened the door, but, nonetheless, regained some composure before handing off Sakura an envelope.

"From Kazekage-sama!" the girl informed Sakura before dashing away from the rosette's dismissal.

Looking at the contents, Sakura literally lost her breath as she stared at her new traveling documents, as well as Gaara's. She read Rasa's note quickly before disposing of it.

" _Prepare today. Depart early morning._ " _  
_

' _I didn't imagine it be this quick!_ ' Sakura thought with a racing heart.

Adrenaline pumped through her from this news, and she wasted no time packing their two bags, and planning what she needed to get done in Konoha. She dragged Gaara with her to the store to buy their supplies for the travel, she brought him to the hospital to organize a list of medicines and plants she could retrieve in Konoha. As soon as she decided all was done on her part, she brought Gaara to the park to let him play one more time with the brown-haired girl that seemed to always be there.

"Wow!" Matsuri had told him. "Konoha huh? Can you bring me back something from there?"

"Like what?" Gaara had mumbled.

"Anything is fine," she ended up telling him, waving goodbye and to come play again soon.

Sakura brought Gaara to the kakigori stand next, explaining to Tsutomu not to expect them anytime soon.

"What?!" the man grumbled. "That's bad for business!"

Sakura simply laughed, for she did believe their frequent visits upheld this man's business somewhat.

"We'll return before you know it. Gaara wants to see the cherry blossoms, right?" she said while nudging the little boy.

"They're the same color as her hair," Gaara commented to Tsutomu while pointing towards Sakura.

The old man smiled then before handing Gaara his sweet treat.

"Well..." he mumbled. "If Gaara-kun wants to see the cherry blossoms I suppose that's a good reason to go. Those things sure are a beauty to look at."

Tsutomu knelt down on his counter, grinning towards Gaara.

"Just promise me you'll stay loyal to this stand. Ain't no better tastin' Kakigori in Konoha than mine here in Suna."

They left as Tsutomu began trying to hand money over to Gaara.

"Get yourself something nice there," he told Gaara.

Yet, Sakura refused on the boy's part.

"His father is paying for all the expenses. Please, keep your money."

Still, Tsutomu slipped the coin to Gaara, winking at the boy and earning Gaara's grin as Sakura had her back turned.

"Goodbye!" Gaara called, waving to Tsutomu.

Sakura did the same.

"We'll be back before you know it!" she told him.

They went next to his siblings, and Sakura was hit with a barrage of tears and whining.

"That's not fair!" Temari cried. "I want to come too!"

"Please, Sakaasan," Kankuro begged. "Bring us too!"

And even Gaara had gotten caught up with their pleas.

"I won't go unless they can go!" he begged Sakura.

The children literally had Sakura covering her ears with her hands.

"Next time!" she kept on telling them. "I can't keep track of all three of you by myself!"

Eventually, Sakura was able to calm down the spoiled children long enough for them to give their brother a proper goodbye. Hugs and well wishes again, and Gaara had even surprised Sakura by offering Kankuro the tiny, blue, bunny doll.

"Please, take care of it for me," he had asked his brother.

Kankuro promised with a sniffle.

After that, Sakura whisked them back to their room, and prepared herself for an early sleep for an early rise.

"Gaara," she called to the boy. "Don't play too much tonight. Konoha is a long trip, we'll be doing a lot of running tomorrow."

Gaara nodded, eyes falling to the floor as he wished Sakura a good night.

And that was it, Sakura thought. She drifted to sleep thinking the next time she awoke would be when it was time for them to leave. The day had been so busy for them, that sleep found her quick. The day, for her, had also been so mind-filling that she had failed to realize the boy's nervous eyes.

So, late into the night, he climbed into her bed, nestling himself close to her as his worries got the better of him.

"Gaara?" Sakura groaned, his movement stirring her awake.

She turned to face him, bringing her arms out to cradle him. He need not say a word then, for his act now told her everything.

"What's wrong?" she asked sleepily.

Through the dark his eyes found hers, and he studied her quietly before revealing his feelings.

"I'm scared."

She stroked his red locks then, trying to calm him through touch.

"What if they hate me there too?" he asked.

Sakura smiled softly, eyes closing as sleep threatened to steal her back.

"Don't worry," she told him. "I'll be there. I'll be by your side the whole time. You listen to my whispers. Let them be your strength."

Her voice disappeared as Sakura slipped back to sleep, and her hand stroking his hair remained tangled in his locks. She had wanted to say more, to remind him the people there knew nothing of him, and that he would be treated kindly without being judged. Yet, sleep had gotten the better hold of her.

Even so, despite what more she had to say, Gaara watched her silently as her breaths evened out. Even if it was just those few short words, she had managed to reassure his worries for the moment, and he smiled softly before placing himself closer to Sakura, relaxing and listening to her lights breaths soothe him through the night.

Sakura woke up before dawn. Perhaps too anxious, or with too much on her mind, for she didn't make a mention of Gaara's worry. Instead, she dressed the boy in a concealing cloak, and asked him with a smile if he was ready. He returned her smile with sparkling eyes.

"Let's go see the cherry blossoms," he told Sakura.

She nodded before ushering him to follow quickly behind her.

"Let me know if your gourd becomes too heavy for you," she told him. "I can carry it for you if you like."

Though the offer was there, somehow Sakura knew Gaara wouldn't let up his canister to her.

"I'll be alright," he told her, trudging closely behind her towards the village's exit.

As the entryway came closer to view, Sakura could spot one guard watching them in the distance.

"Keep your head down," she told Gaara, for Rasa had it made it extremely clear that he didn't want this knowledge to return to the council.

Yet, as they drew closer and closer, Sakura sensed the little boy behind her stop frozen in his place. As she turned back to look at him, he had picked up his head to look past her and towards the single guard. His eyes were round, distant, and his mouth was open.

"Gaara? What's wrong?" Sakura whispered.

The boy said nothing, his eyes focused entirely past her. She stumbled slightly as the small breeze in the air suddenly erupted as a gust, and wind began blowing hard around them. Yet, before Sakura could grimace at the sudden change in weather, she felt the figure suddenly drawing closer towards them. Her head whipped back behind her just in time to catch the guard's eyes with hers.

Yet, it was no guard now in the way of their exit.

"Rasa," Sakura whispered, grimacing as the man drew closer to them.

Sakura narrowed her eyes, unsure what his purpose there was now. Why was he alone? Why was here so early? Was he there to stop them, did he have a change of heart? Yet, as he strolled closer, eventually coming next to Sakura, he didn't even glance in her direction.

"Don't forget the set date," he reminded her. "I will not tolerate any later."

Sakura only kept her lips pursed, and it seemed Rasa did not care for her words then. His eyes were set already on his target, and he continued to stride towards the small boy. Sakura watched as Rasa stopped short in front of Gaara, the winds picking their robe and cloak. Even if the old man's eyes were on the boy, Gaara looked forward and past him. Still, his eyes were anxious and his nose flared as his breathing became quick.

Gaara was nervous.

"Gaara," Rasa called.

The boy did not stir to his voice, and Rasa was unable to earn Gaara's eyes like he had wanted. So, instead of waiting in the strong winds as sand danced around them, Rasa said what he had come out here to tell his youngest son.

"Behave yourself, boy."

Again, he waited for no remark before strolling past his son, and as Sakura watched auburn hair disappear into the brown cloud of sand, she noticed Rasa did not once look back towards them. For Gaara, the words were as belittling to him as everything else his father told him. For Sakura, the rosette wondered if Rasa would keep up his facade with Gaara until his dying days.

' _He cares for Gaara,_ ' Sakura thought to herself.

Yet, this revelation she decided to leave best secret until the day Rasa decided to reconcile with Gaara.

' _If he ever does…_ ' Sakura thought, unsure how their relationship ended in her own time.

She called to the boy, nudging her head when his eyes found hers.

"It will take us at least three days," she told him. "Stay close by me."

To her words, the boy quickly rushed to her side then. He looked up at her with determined eyes.

"I'm ready," he told her.

Sakura smiled.

"Let's go then."

As they ran, Sakura began to realize this windy storm around them was not something that simply happened here in Suna at this early time of day. The weather was hard-hitting today, and the winds mildly blinded them with sand. Yet, Sakura was accustom to route, and made sure to stop at times to make sure the boy was able to see her through the small storm. Despite the obstacle that mother nature prepared for them, Sakura welcomed the hardship wholeheartedly.

Everything leading towards the scroll had come so easily for her, that she greeted any tribulation thrown at her. In her mind, the harder it became to obtain the scroll, the more sure of its magic to help her return home she thought of it. So, she accepted the winds all around her, striding through still with determination.

And she was happy to see Gaara keep up with her fast pace. She worried Gaara's young age and lack of training would lead these three days to possibly four or five, yet the boy kept up, probably through sure awe at their destination was what drove his legs to be as fast as they could be. Still not the fastest pace Sakura could do, the rosette was content with their progress, especially through this small, windy storm.

They traveled all day without words, and Sakura had mused at the thought that this many hours had been the longest she had gone not speaking with the boy for quite some time. Only when their destination became blinded with both darkness and sand did Sakura decide to call it a day and began setting up small camp for them. She had used some abandoned ruins and rocks to shield their tent from the wind, and only when the two sat in their small shelter did Sakura realize how sweaty and heavy-breathing Gaara was.

"Gaara," she lectured him, holding the canteen up as he chugged the water desperately. "You need to tell me when you need a break. Don't push yourself. There is no rush to get to Konoha."

As he popped his mouth back, exasperating, he grinned at Sakura.

"I'm fine," he told her. "I want to get there as soon as we can."

Sakura smirked, thrilled to see the excitement on the boy still despite his fatigue. She wrapped him then in many blankets as they listened to the wind.

"Lay by me tonight," he told him. "It will be cold."

It was then, as Sakura pondered lightly, did the woman realize the direction of the winds.

' _Straight towards Konoha,_ ' she thought.

This time of year, she was more than certain they would meet the village in snow.

"Are we near?" Gaara began asking, drawing himself near Sakura and resting against her for warmth.

"Three days," she reminded him.

"Have you ever been there?" he asked then. "What does it look like?"

It's my home, she had wanted to tell the boy. For she knew he would find that information fascinating. She knew he would find some wonderment to that knowledge only a child would see, but held back her tongue.

"It's beautiful," she told him, and was happy to see his eyes still light up to that description. "It's nothing like Suna."

"How so?"

"Where Suna has sand, Konoha has leaves. Where Suna has breaking buildings, Konoha has tall ones."

She knew her words were a little biased then, for her home was the most beautiful, but she painted Konoha to be the most beautiful place Gaara would ever come across in his life. The little boy, hooked on to the rosette's every word, believed Sakura was suddenly bringing him to the most magical of places.

"People will smile at you," she told him. "Unlike Suna."

She watched Gaara smile quietly, eyes falling elsewhere as he drowned himself at the thought.

"Konoha has cherry blossoms, unlike Suna," she finished with a grin.

She needn't say anymore, she realized, as Gaara rested and nestled himself closer towards her. She had already painted a perfect picture in his mind, and his smile never let up as they ate before Sakura nestled with him while she slept. Yet, unknown to her while she rested, Gaara laid with many thoughts of a beautiful, perfect village. As grateful and excited as he was to get to Konoha now, in the back of his mind, he had to wonder again why life was unfair to him.

Why was he stuck in such a place like Suna when the world around him seemed so much more beautiful? Was it because of the monster inside of him? Was he purposefully placed in a crumbling village filled with hate simply because of Shukaku? It made him wonder, made him think, that if Konoha was everything Sakura claimed than he would much rather choose a life there than call Suna his home.

Wise enough to ask himself these serious questions, yet still too young and naive to understand why one village flourished over the other, Gaara spent his night contemplating many things a child would brush away or not worry about until they were much older. He was the one this time to wake Sakura up as dawn began breaking, and his enthusiasm was met with Sakura's own.

"Let's go," she told him. "After today, it won't be much longer."

Before they departed, Sakura eyed their path. The sun did not greet them this morning, but neither did the sandy storm. Instead, it continued through the night, darkening the sky in the direction of Konoha.

' _We're bringing a storm with us to Konoha,_ ' she thought.

The shade towards their destination was of a dark purple, a warning to those of the approaching storm. Above her and Gaara were clouds of gray. While they did not threaten the weather around them like the storm farther ahead, they did cool the desert around them with a gentle breeze, and moistened the air with a promise of rain.

She narrowed her eyes when Gaara protested against the warm clothes she tried to get him into.

"No," he whined. "They're heavy. They're hot. They're itchy."

"Better than you catching a cold. You don't want to get sick there do you? If you do, I won't take you to see the cherry blossoms."

To that statement, he whined some more before promising not to get sick.

"Then you'll wear the jacket?"

He narrowed his eyes at her with a pout, but reluctantly nodded in his head.

"Fine," he mumbled.

Once she was in Konoha, Sakura would realize her most tedious day travel would be this second one. With the winds gone, the sand no longer shield the world around Gaara, and the boy stopped to glance at every passing person, every moving creature and every stirring noise. He watched with cautious eyes as other ninja and merchants trailed by him without a glance, he took every opportunity to chase down scorpions, lizards, beetles and foxes that drifted himself away from the trail. At random times Gaara would just suddenly stop, glancing in a direction and asking Sakura if she could hear what he could. There were times he even brought sand out from his gourd, mixing it with the grains around them.

She had told them there was no rush, but still…

"Let's go, Gaara," she always ushered him instead. "You don't want to make the cherry blossoms wait too long."

He followed, but his stops were continuous. Rain also slowed their movements, as they continued on the heavier and more cold the rain became. The rain was freezing, but their sprint kept them warm.

"There it is!" Gaara suddenly cried. "There! There! There!"

Sakura had paid it no mind, but only to Gaara's call did she notice sand and grass were beginning to blend together. The terrain ahead of them was also much more flourished than that behind them.

"Konoha!" Gaara cried enthusiastically.

Sakura stopped their steps then, smiling back towards the boy before explaining to him.

"No, Konoha is still about a day away. We're in the Land of Rivers now."

Glancing back, Sakura stared at the trees for a long time before realizing something.

' _We...saved you once. In this country._ '

Sakura swallowed hard then, and even if the threat here wouldn't be one until many more years later, she beckoned Gaara to her side.

"Stay by my side where I can see you."

He nodded with a smile, trudging to her slowed pace. Yet, as much as she try to deter away his curious mind and exploring eyes, Gaara relentlessly halted his steps. He asked Sakura what some flowers were, and chasing the animals that he sensed still, and no matter how many times Sakura called him back, reminded him they had to continue without distractions, the boy would only laugh as he continued off the trail. Eventually the rosette gave up and called the day as soon as evening came.

The cold rain had stopped as they finished their dinner, allowing Sakura to build a fire for them. Despite the warm flames, Gaara still wrapped himself within a blanket and nestled against Sakura for more warmth.

"I bet your glad you wore that jacket now, aren't you?"

The boy shivered against her.

"Will it be this cold in Konoha?" he asked her.

Sakura hummed in thought, remembering the direction of the storm.

"It will probably be colder," she told him, watching his nose wrinkle.

Perhaps weather would be the deal-breaker that kept Gaara imagining Konoha was a perfect land.

"Don't worry. We'll be indoors where it's warmer, not out in a tent."

The boy did not reply, instead burying his head into his blanket.

"But, we get to play in the snow. Won't that be fun?"

Gaara's head perked back then, and he eyed Sakura with a glint of amusement.

"Snow?" he asked under his blanket and watched Sakura nod.

He nestled more into the warmth, whispering ever so faintly to the woman.

"I've never seen snow before…"

She grabbed him then, nestling him and his blanket into her lap.

"Well, you're going to see it now so get ready," she told him. "You're going to help me build a snowman, and throw snowballs at one another, and drink hot cocoa."

For the moment, as use to travel as Sakura was, the woman felt homesick as she listed all the things her and Gaara would do together.

"We'll do all the things I use to do when I was young," Sakura said with a smile.

As she lost herself to her thoughts, Gaara eyed her, smiling along with her as he saw happiness dance across her eyes.

"Sakura?" he called for her attention.

As she looked down at the boy in her arms, she could see his eyes twinkle in amusement. Something deep had crossed his mind.

"We should just stay in Konoha," he told her, deciding now before even seeing the place. "We don't have to go back. We should stay."

Sakura chuckled then, pulling Gaara tighter towards her.

"That's a pretty big decision to make. Especially for someone your age!"

She continued to giggle, and only stopped as the clouds above them suddenly passed. The stars came out this cool night, shining brightly for the woman and boy to admire.

"Suna is your home," she told him then, remembering his place in the future. "You're bound to that village..."

Her voice drifted, staring at the stars still. Gaara watched her for a moment before following her line of sight. He blinked at the many stars and listened to Sakura speak more.

"Besides, that's where Kankuro and Temari are waiting for you. Tsutomu-san and Matsuri also want you to come home. Baki-san, Chiyo-baasama...You have a list of people waiting for your return."

Her mouth opened slightly as she thought back of her own family and friends.

"It's the same for me..." she whispered to herself.

Yet, the boy had heard her, and lifted his head and eyes back towards Sakura.

"You mean they're waiting for you too, right? Kankuro and the others."

Sakura bit her lip then, still unable to bring out the truth.

' _Not yet,_ ' she told herself. ' _Once you know he will be alright, than you can tell him._ '

Instead, she turned a smile towards Gaara's direction.

"Right," she lied.

The clouds parted the night sky even more, revealing an array of bright stars. So, Sakura allowed herself to stay up a bit later, laying next to the boy by the fire and watching the twinkling stars. She revealed something else that ruined Gaara's perfect image of Konoha.

"You can't see the stars like this in Konoha. It's beautiful here right now."

Gaara nudged his head back, staring at Sakura for some time before looking back up at the stars.

"Yea," he murmured.

That night, Sakura went into their tent before him. Reminding him to come inside as soon as the fire died out. Yet, the boy disobeyed some, staring at the stars long after the fire had died before the cold got the better of him. He retreated back into the tent, plopping alongside Sakura and shuffling into her hold as soon as she reached for him. Though she fell right back asleep, Gaara was thoughtful while listening to her soft breathing.

' _Why couldn't it always just be like this?_ ' he wondered.

Away from Suna. Away from his father. Away from the hate. Even if a dark presence had to tag along, why couldn't him and Sakura just live like this? Traveling during the day, and stopping to stare at the stars at night. He was outside of his prison, his father's chains broken, so the idea to never return dawdled in his young mind. He spent all night thinking of his possibilities now without the eye of his father watching him that he was not the first, this time, to stir Sakura awake. Instead, the young woman woke up with her mental alarm clock. She stretched herself some before smiling down towards the boy.

"Last day," she told him.

He returned her smile with a grin, showing off his missing tooth.

Yet, as soon as they began their run, it didn't take long for Sakura to stop them.

"Why are we stopping again?" Gaara asked Sakura curiously.

"I just need a small break," she told Gaara before pointing to a small pool of water. "Help me fill up the canteens with water."

He did what he was told, but not without watching through the corner of his eye as Sakura began pulling out small canisters.

"What's that?" he asked her as soon as he was done.

He sat next to her then, staring at the black goop Sakura showed him.

"Want to help me?" she asked with a smile.

He nodded, yet tensed as Sakura placed the canister in his hand.

"Just grab a handful and spread it through my hair."

Again, he did as he was told. At first appalled at the smell and texture he was spreading through Sakura's soft hair, Gaara eventually began to laugh as he realized it was like painting a real life person. It wasn't until Sakura began spreading the goop on her eyebrows did Gaara ask.

"This smells bad...Why are we painting your hair?"

For the moment, Sakura stared off in front of her with a distant frown. The truth was much more complicated.

There was probably another pink-haired girl running through the village. Another Sakura, and she didn't want her, her family, or her friends to spot the similarities.

' _What will happen if they do?_ ' Sakura wondered. ' _Or if I meet myself? Will Gaara make the connection?_ '

She swallowed hard at the thought, yet, despite the severity that situation would bring, Sakura was undeterred. She had her own personal mission, and pink hair or not, she was going to stroll into that village and get that scroll.

' _Home,_ ' she thought.

Her bangs were long enough to hide her forehead now.

"Just felt like a change," she smiled at the boy. "I want to see what it looks like to have dark hair now."

Yet, as soon as Gaara learned that paint was actually dye, his disapproving frown had formed and he looked to be on the verge of crying.

"No..." he whined. "I like your pink hair, don't change it! Didn't you get your name because of your hair? I don't want you to change…Sakura is suppose to have pink hair."

The rosette, now brunette, was only able to calm the boy back down with a promise that she would have pink hair again as soon as they left Konoha. Even if he still argued, or asked why, Sakura was able to convince him to move on with the mention that Konoha was not too much farther.

They ran as she let the dye settle in her hair, stopping a few hours later when she came across another small pool of water. Gaara watched silently as Sakura rinsed out her hair, and took some time making sure every strand was of a darker shade.

"How do I look?" she smiled, showing off her hair to Gaara as soon as she was done.

The boy narrowed his eyes and pouted. He whipped his head and eyes to the side of him before answering.

"Ugly," he told her. "I don't like it."

She laughed to his blatant answer, but agreed with him nonetheless.

"It'll be pink again soon, I promise."

His response was just to turn from her.

"Let's go," he mumbled.

As they ran, there were no distractions, and Sakura was happy with the time they were making. They did eventually hit a cold rain, and as they traveled farther and farther, that cold rain finally became snow. Their feet began to crunch under thick white, and as soon as Gaara started taking notice of not only the white, but also of the green that white collected on, he stopped short.

Sakura took notice immediately, but did not beckon the boy to continue. Instead, she smiled as she watched Gaara suddenly stare at the tall trees around him. The snow falling was gentle, but it blanketed most of the green, and as Sakura had guessed beforehand, a storm had probably passed by some day ago. From the trees, to the sky above, Gaara was in awe at this scenery. Quite suddenly, he kicked the snow under him, and studied the grass hidden under it. Sakura chuckled then, earning his eyes.

"Where did the sand go?" she playfully teased him.

He began laughing to her words before kneeling down to the ground under him. Once again, he was lost in wonderment as he began feeling and studying the grass. He had even took a handful, dirt and all, and brought it to his face to smell it.

Meanwhile, Sakura picked up the snow around her, forming a small snowball. She tossed it lightly in Gaara's direction, but only succeeded in startling the boy as his sand raced from his gourd to shield her snowball from hitting him.

"That's no fun..." Sakura murmured. "I guess we can cross off a snowball fight."

Gaara said nothing, instead coming to stand next to her. He looked up at as she spoke.

"Sorry, Gaara," she told him. "I should have stopped to tell you when we crossed the border. We've been in the Land of Fire for some time."

Gaara grimaced at the name.

"...but it's snowing," he told her.

"It's just the name," she told him, before smiling once again. "This is where Konoha resides."

Gaara's smile grew then.

"Cherry blossoms," he whispered.

Sakura nodded enthusiastically to him.

"Let's go," she told him. "We'll be there soon."

There pace quickened to their enthusiasm. Gaara's wonderment of the village drove him while Sakura felt a sense of normalcy suddenly return. It was like finishing a mission with Naruto back in her young days and of returning home, to the house she and her family lived in entered her mind. Mother would have dinner prepared, she remembered, while father would be welcoming her with congratulations and an earnest ear to hear about her mission.

Yet, as time passed, and night came, and the lights of Konoha were just off in the distance, Sakura remembered then she was not truly returning home.

' _Soon,_ ' she reminded herself, and smiled as she heard Gaara suddenly cry behind her.

"There it is! Konoha!"


	35. Chapter 35

The boy was nothing but smiles as Sakura walked in him through the gates of Konoha. His eyes were on everything and everywhere, and his giddy mood reflected on to her. Yet, as they met the gatekeeper with their paperwork, the boy's shy nature returned from the smile of the man.

"You came all the way from Suna?" the Konoha man grinned at Gaara. "That's really impressive for someone your age!"

This man was unknowingly one of the few who gave Gaara the benefit of the doubt simply because of his age. As the man's smile lingered, Gaara's confusion grew and he eventually hid behind Sakura while peering at the man curiously.

"He's shy," Sakura spoke in Gaara's defense.

The guard waved it off.

"It's fine," he commented back. "At first I wondered why Suna was sending you here to pick up provisions while asking for an unusually long stay. Usually it's us sent to drop off necessities, but when I read we were anticipating a young traveler as well it suddenly clicked."

The man eyed Gaara again with a smile.

"You're pretty lucky, you know? Not many get to go outside their village until they're a few years older."

His words only made Gaara hide himself more behind Sakura. The man and Sakura continued to discuss the details of her small mission. The hospital would provide what they could and have the gatekeeper hand off the necessities on Sakura and Gaara's departing day, while accepting Sakura's box from Suna. In the mean time, they were given a room, and the freedom around the village as a merchant or traveler would have. As he began checking their bags, he spoke again to Sakura.

"Do you have any business with the Sandaime Hokage, or any other of the higher ups? I'll need set an appointment for you if you do, and you'll be escorted to the offices. Otherwise, travelers aren't allowed inside Konoha's main offices."

For the moment, Sakura felt a sudden rush in her head at the mention of Sandaime. Perhaps she hadn't mentally prepared herself enough like she thought she had beforehand, for the thought of seeing Hiruzen again shook her lightly. The idea itself was promising, meeting an old friend, but Sakura quickly shook her head to the thought. Despite her disguise, she felt as though seeing the wise, old man again would jeopardize the reason she had come here in the first place.

"No," Sakura answered. "I was just sent here to deliver and pick up provisions. Kazekage-sama hasn't asked me to relay anything to the Hokage."

The man nodded, handing back their bags.

"Enjoy your stay," he told them before smiling once more towards Gaara. "Especially you, little guy, I hope you like it here."

As Sakura began walking, Gaara quickly rushed to her side and took a hold of her hand. The boy glanced back at the man, watching him wave and smile towards him still.

"Something's wrong with him," Gaara eventually said.

Sakura scoffed, looking back down at the boy.

"Why?" she asked him. "Just because he was nice to you? Does that mean there's something wrong with me too?"

To her question, Gaara grimaced and thought for a moment.

"...Yes?" he answered her, making the young woman fume lightly.

"What?! No! There's nothing wrong with him or me! That's common courtesy he is showing you. That's how you should treat others."

Yet, she could understand Gaara's confusion at the situation.

"The way people treat you here is how they are _suppose_ to treat you. With respect. This is how you should treat others as well. Don't confuse how ignoble people in Suna are towards you as normalcy."

Gaara sucked on his cheek then, interpreting Sakura's words. In a way, he understood what Sakura was saying. He had always known at a young age that he was treated differently than others his age. Yet, as his uncle had explained to him, there was a reason for it. The question now for him was, did he deserve it or not?

"If that man knew what was inside of me, would he still smile?"

It's was interesting, for her, to witness Gaara's intellect shine from time to time with his words and questions. This was just one of those rare occasions where Sakura could see the older Gaara that she knew within this small, wondering child. Yet, to his question, she was quiet, trying to find the appropriate answer. The truth was that the people here were already shunning a small boy of their own that harbored a magnificent beast. Not only that, but she also didn't want to give Gaara the confidence to spout to others around him that he had the Ichibi sealed inside of him.

The man would probably not smile, she knew, and it seemed Gaara figured this out through her silence.

"I knew it," he murmured before turning his head out in front of him.

Through the corner of her eye, she looked down at boy, upset she had formed a frown on him so quickly inside the village. It was then she nudged his small body with her hip, and as he looked back at her, she smiled.

"That will change one day," she reminded him. "Remember that I still smile."

He was quiet to her words for some time before realizing her kind nature towards him, and he returned her smile.

"Let's get something to eat before we head to our room," Sakura spoke.

Gaara agreed, but not before stopping to take in every little monument and the flourishing green, and cold white, around him still.

"Who are they?" he had asked, pointing towards the Hokage Rock.

Again, as Sakura glanced at the faces sculpted on the mountain, she felt herself a little unnerved at the sight of the two missing faces she was accustom to seeing.

"A-Ah, that's the Hokage Rock. Konoha's Hokage, starting with Shodai."

As she spoke, she pointed towards the sculpture of Hashirama and went down the faces to Minato's frame.

"He was Yondaime, but died a few years ago," she spoke before pointing back to Hiruzen. "So, now Sandaime watches the village."

To her explanation, Gaara sniffed and narrowed his eyes towards Minato's sculpted face.

"Why would they make someone weak a leader?"

Sakura blinked, flabbergasted by Gaara's question, and she turned to meet his eyes.

"Weak?" she asked him. "He was one of the strongest men! He died protecting this village."

Yet, Gaara shook his head.

"The weak don't die," he told her.

Sakura grimaced then, despite his intelligence at his age, Gaara's mindset would still fall back to that of a naive child.

"His biggest strength was his love," Sakura spoke, before turning her smile back towards the mountain. "Instead of running away to live another day, he stayed behind and risked everything to make sure his village, his son, would live to grow. The strong will sacrifice everything for the ones they love, the weak fend only for themselves."

To her words, Gaara stared up at her in silence for some time while trying to process her speech. Not long ago, he wanted nothing to do with no one, and would only exist for himself while finding purpose for his life. Was she saying that line of thinking was weak of him? No one gave him another option anyway, how could he find love in those that feared him. Yet, in another way, he somewhat understood her saying that the strong would protect those he loved. He didn't quite understand why, but looking up at her, at her gentle, warm smile, a part of him knew he would tear anyone who tried to steal that away.

"What killed him?" Gaara asked.

Sakura's smile fell then, and she gazed silently for a few seconds towards the mountain before smiling gently towards Gaara.

' _That's a long story..._ ' she thought.

Instead, she offered Gaara her hand.

"Come on," she ushered him along. "It's cold out here, and I'm starving!"

She brought him to one of her favorite restaurants, and hummed in delight at the taste of the fish she ordered.

"Ah, I've missed this place!" she beamed happily, but earned Gaara's skeptic eye.

He had wanted to ask then how many times she had been here. How she had become so knowledgeable about this village, but as he bit into his own food, he realized then questions could wait.

"How do you like it?" she asked.

"It's yummy," he told her with a smile.

After their meal there was nothing more Sakura could show the boy so late into the night, so they instead hurried towards their hotel as small snowflakes began to fall. They had been placed in one of the finer hotels, possibly through Rasa's name or because their stay was longer. It may have very well been because they knew a child was coming along with Sakura, but whatever reason, as they drew closer towards the edge of the village, Sakura could recognize the nicer area. The familiar, unique smell to the spot hit her as well.

As they drew near to their destination, a huge building caught Gaara's eyes, and he stopped to stare at it. It sat on top of a hill, surrounded by trees. As soon as Sakura noticed, she turned and made her way back towards Gaara and looked in the direction of his curious eyes.

"That's the most popular bath house here," she explained to him, surprised the building nabbed the boy's attention.

"It smells funny," Gaara commented.

"It's a hot spring. The water comes from underground. You're probably smelling the mineral water. It's so warm, they'll even let you bathe outdoors even in the cold like this."

Gaara tilted his head at the sight.

"It's huge too," Sakura commented. "They won't build other buildings around it so they can keep the scenery."

Gaara turned to look at her then.

"You've been there before?"

Sakura blinked a few times, recalling the last time she had visited this particular onsen.

"It's been a long time," she admitted. "When I was young, my mother and I would go maybe once every year."

As Sakura recalled this, her frown grew sad. It did that not because the thought was nostalgic for her, but because she realized her mother had stopped taking her as soon as she began her training with her team. She had never questioned her mother why the small trips had stopped, and never paid the thought any mind until now. After all, her life had been so busy, she was sure she would pass up the invitation if her mother inquired. Thinking of it now, though, Sakura missed that small moment with her mother.

"Can we go?"

Sakura's eyes widened some as Gaara's voice wiped away her current thought. She turned to the boy, taking in his serious look as he stared at her.

"Can we go?" he repeated his question as Sakura's voice lingered silent.

The young woman chuckled, amused.

"What?" she asked, tilting her neck back while look at him still. "You want to go to a bath house here? There's a few in Suna, why this one?"

Gaara blinked at her for a moment before turning back to look at the bath house up on the hill. It was then Sakura wondered if he had ever been to one of these bath houses. Surely, if he ever did, it would have been with his uncle, Sakura assumed. She was also certain that if Gaara had, he had probably cleared out the entire place. The more she thought about it, the more she came to terms that Rasa had probably ordered Yashamaru not to take him to such public places like a bath house. Meanwhile, Gaara seemed to be thinking hard on her question, silent until…

"I don't know," he truthfully answered, looking back at here. "I just want to."

Sakura shrugged then, there was no reason not to. Especially if this would be a first for him. She realized then it would better to take Gaara to this one than one back at home where he would clear the whole place out. Even if the idea of an empty bath sounded like a promising one for her part.

"If that's what you want," she told him before lifting an eyebrow at him. "You're going to have get naked in front of others though."

His gaze was apathetic taking in that information, and he even turned his eyes once more towards the bath house.

"Do _you_ wear clothes when you take a bath?" he asked Sakura. "You're not suppose to. That's wrong. You're suppose to be naked to take a bath. You've been doing it wrong this whole time, Sakura."

Sakura felt her eyebrow twitch an anger.

' _Smart-ass…_ ' she thought, before her loud voice broke through the air.

"I know that! Don't try to lecture me like I'm some sort of kid!"

Gaara laughed lightly to her small outburst, earning a groan from Sakura. Yet, as he turned his smile to her, Sakura couldn't help but smirk along with his playful attitude. Again, the sight made her recollect just how long it had been when she first earned his smile, and the last time he sneered with distaste in her direction.

' _Time certainly changes,_ ' she thought before turning in the direction of their hotel.

Their destination was not much farther, and Gaara once again sought out refuge behind her leg when the old lady at the front desk smiled and waved at him.

"My," the old woman told Sakura. "Is he your little brother? His hair is so red, and yours is so dark."

Sakura shook her head, explaining their relationship and the reason they were there.

"Pretty, red hair," she smiled at Gaara. "Can I touch it?"

She asked this question while looking at Gaara, and both women laughed when the boy shook his head quickly to answer the old woman no. As they entered their room, Gaara laughed at the sight of everything despite the room being about the same size as his own. He ran around the room as Sakura unpacked, He flipped every switch he could find, ran to the cold windows to watch the snow and his hot breath bounce against the glass, and eventually jumped on top of the bed as soon as Sakura settled to sit on it. She sighed, a bit exhausted through the trip, but nonetheless smiled down at Gaara as he laid his head next to her and grinned big.

"Let's live here," he told her.

Sakura laughed before brushing his strands of hair.

"I'm surprised you even have all this energy."

To her statement, Gaara's smile fell some.

"Oh, you're tired."

She wondered then how obvious it was on her face for the boy to notice it.

"Let me run you a bath," she told him before picking herself up from the bed. "I'll take one too and then call it night."

"Aw..." Gaara whined some, but fell silent as he saw Sakura's sluggish form. "...Alright. Don't forget to wash your hair! It's needs to be pink again."

Sakura was too tired to remind him that the dye would stay until their return. After each of their baths, Sakura made a mental fine line straight to her bed, and sighed relaxing into the comfy mattress and warm blankets. Gaara, meanwhile, had found interest at the small heater in their room.

"It blows heat!" he had excitedly told Sakura, a little awed that such a thing existed.

"It's the same as an air conditioner," she told him and realized heaters were probably hardly ever used in Suna. "It's to keep us warm from the cold."

From her bed, she watched as Gaara turned the heat on high, letting the hot air blow into his face and hair some. Still in his damp robe, he found the warmth to be relaxing and eventually nestled onto the floor in front of it.

"So warm," he murmured with relaxed eyes.

From her bed, Sakura watched him, smiling softly as she caught the boy's eyes closing and opening back and forth. It made the woman chuckle softly as his tranquility began to rub off on her. Her eyes felt heavy suddenly, but she still spoke to remind the young boy.

"Don't fall asleep."

Her words made his eyes snap open, and for a moment he mentally wondered how the contraption blowing the heat could threaten his discipline like this. He sat himself then, rubbing his eyes some and answered Sakura with a small whine in his voice.

"I won't."

Yet, looking at her while waiting on a reply, he realized Sakura herself was drifting away to sleep. He hurried his way over to her then, not wanting to miss out on her good night before sleep overtook her.

"Sakura," he whispered, gently caressing her hair to stir her back awake. "Don't go yet."

Like Gaara, Sakura's eyes snapped open to his voice, and her heart even raced some to those words.

"I'm not going yet," she quickly told him before realizing what it was she had actually said.

The boy brought his hand back then and stared at her curiously. He was baffled some by her words, and even Sakura tried to calm herself down when she realized she was answering something that would, in time, happen later on.

"I'm awake," she rephrased. "I'm not going to sleep yet. Do me a favor, and go ahead and turn off the light."

He listened to her, running towards the only source of light to turn it off while Sakura sighed and rolled onto her back. She placed a hand on her head while she tried to mentally chase sleep away for a few moments longer.

For Gaara, as he returned to her bedside, her shift on the bed was an invitation only he saw, and he crawled back on top of the mattress and continued across and over her body much to her discomfort. He decided to rest his head this time on top of her stomach. Her body arched his head up just perfectly for him to stare out at the window where he continued to watch the snowflakes fall gently down. From her head did her hand venture down towards the boy's head, stroking his thick, red hair some as she closed her eyes.

"You like the snow?" she asked him.

He was quiet to the question for a few moments, considering it.

"Yea," he eventually answered.

Sakura chuckled lightly, wondering how much of a shock the snow and cold was for Gaara since the boy was use to sand and heat.

"It always snows here?" he asked.

Sakura shook her head against the pillow.

"No," she spoke softly. "We just came when it's snowing. In a few months, it will warm up here."

The boy leaned his head more towards her stroking hand as his eyes lidded.

"Can we come back when it's warm?" he asked. "Can we bring Kankuro and Temari too?"

Sakura yawned before answering,

"Sure. Sure."

Silence followed after that. Sakura was once again slowly drifting back to sleep while Gaara continued to watch the snow outside. It wasn't until Sakura's strokes stopped did the boy speak again, trying to pull her back to his world.

"Will we see the cherry blossoms tomorrow?"

As he woke her awake, her hand once again began stroking his hair, and she cleared her throat so as not to sound hoarse.

"We'll see," she told him.

In truth, the possibility of finding any plant out there in the cold and snow was slim. If anywhere, the greenhouse she knew to have a tree, or maybe even as simple as finding a small tree at the flower shop was possible. In the back of her mind, she thought maybe their next return could happen in the spring, when the blossoms were literally everywhere.

They became quiet again, but it was Gaara's sudden, soft humming that stopped Sakura from slipping back to sleep. Even if his soft noise should have lulled her, it instead made her open her eyes. She stared at the ceiling, listening to the familiar tune Gaara now hummed.

' _Mother's song,_ ' she thought of the name of the song Gaara's humming came from.

Usually, Gaara would come to her if he wanted to hear the notes or listen to his mother's words. So, she smiled this time as the boy, independently, found the song on his own, bringing it forth in such a comforting setting for them.

"Are you thinking about her?" Sakura asked.

Her question made the boy slowly stop his humming to, once again, think on Sakura's inquiry.

"I wish I could meet her..." he admitted, letting those words be his answer instead.

Sakura patted his head.

"I know," she told him. "Don't ever forget though, her love is always there. It will always be there for you."

Again, a rare moment happened, the one where Gaara's intelligence shined through his words. Even if he couldn't grasp Sakura's words fully, his speech would signal a blooming, open mind she knew his older self to very much have.

"It's not a face," he told Sakura. "It's not a hug. It's not a voice."

Gaara's hand found the opening of his robe then, and gripped the skin of his chest.

"Sometimes it feels like nothing..."

His message got through to her, and she frowned in thought at Gaara's feelings. Feelings she knew, but couldn't quite understand through the boy. She could hear his pain from his words, but could not place herself in his shoes. She understood what the boy was saying, but could not sympathize on the level he was at.

' _It's not even a memory,_ ' Sakura sadly thought, knowing Gaara had nothing but the song to live with throughout his life understanding his mother's love.

As happy as the song was, for it taught Gaara how his mother had truly felt towards him, it was all Gaara had of her. All that he _was_ going to have of her. The knowledge of someone loving them was enough for many. For the child, however, who received more hate than love, it was starting to settle in, to him, how he now craved more from his mother than just her words on a paper. On top of that, he was also trying to come to terms that that craving was impossible to appease.

Just this once, Sakura was a little confused how to comfort the boy. She could fall back and remind him of his friends and family now that loved him. She could try to convince him the importance of Karura's song, and how love could be so much more than just physical. She could try to remind him that with time everything would get better. Yet, these were all lessons he had heard over and over and over, and a part of her knew the comfort he sought would not come from another lecture.

"I'm sorry," was what she decided to tell him.

All she could say really because she could admit the thought was painful, and she was more than grateful that she still had her mother, and close friends, to show her love still. Meanwhile, Gaara had few and had lost one of his most important teachers who would guide him through love, his own mother.

He turned to face her then, and Gaara even scooted himself next to Sakura before lacing his arms around her neck. He nestled his head down against her, and Sakura brought her arm up once again to pat him. Once again, he grasped her while searching for contentment.

Sakura, who did not find his constant reassurance bothersome, gazed still towards the ceiling above her.

"It will be alright," she told him. "You'll see, with time."

Despite her words, he gripped her tighter.

"I really won't ever get to see her, will I?" he whispered

Perhaps, he searched for broken promises, for Sakura was sure Gaara understood death and all that it meant. In an ironic twist in her mind, she thought about explaining to Gaara that this was the same pain he had caused Annaisha, and so many others, by his killings. Yet, she decided against it. Sakura was certain Gaara had remorse for his actions, after all he had cried to her before, nor did she have the heart to hurt the boy anymore than he was now.

"You won't," Sakura told him while shaking her head lightly. "You know what happens when someone dies."

He held on tighter, and Sakura turned her body to face him. She cradled his face in her hands, bringing his teal gaze up to look at her smile.

"You may not have any memories of her, but you at least have a song. Don't ever forget her words, and always fall back on them when you're feeling sad."

Gaara still frowned to those words, but he kept his eyes steady on Sakura.

"Your mother loves you," Sakura said, smiling. "Nothing can make you any happier than knowing that someone loves you."

Gaara still frowned, which made Sakura jostle his head a little in her hands.

"Right?" she asked him.

She grinned when Gaara's eyes fell to the side and he smiled lightly.

"I think so," he answered.

Still, as he quietly thought to himself, his frown returned and confusing eyes went back to Sakura.

"How could she?" Gaara asked then. "She died right away, how did she know she loved me if she didn't even know me?"

Sakura's hands retracted from his face then, and she laid her head gently against the pillow. Gaara, too, decided to retreat his head down with Sakura, and nestled his head onto the same pillow while staring at Sakura still, and waiting on her answer. The young woman stroked his head again.

"Because she was _your_ mother, and she knew no matter what she would always love you."

His eyes lit up a little to her words, yet his frown remained, and he tried to keep his passive act in front of her.

"Mothers are amazing like that," Sakura finished.

Gaara was quiet again after that, and glanced below him in deep thought. He wouldn't deny Sakura's words of wisdom, but found that small, empty pain still lingering in his heart. He wouldn't deny his mother's love, ever. Evidenced had piled itself in front of him, to not doubt that. Still, he wondered what love entitled. What was the feeling, what could he have experienced with his mother. What was love, he continued to wonder still, and looked back up at the emerald gaze that had answers for him.

It was a question he once tried to grasp before ridding the word out of his mind as he engraved it into his skin. With time, a spark of wonder had rekindled, and while it was still a question that made him shift his body uncomfortably and made his tongue freeze on the spot, Gaara pushed away his nerves and asked Sakura in all seriousness,

"What is love?"

Sakura's eyes widened some to Gaara's question. Yet, staring at the confused eyes who kept his steady eyes locked with hers, Sakura's round gaze fell some, and she was quiet while thinking hard on that question. A small part of her even wanted to chuckle and reply,

" _I do not know._ "

For his sake, she didn't; and to that thought, she even wondered if that consideration for him itself could be considered love. So many different loves, in her mind, she loved Naruto differently than she loved Sasuke. She loved her family differently, she loved her teachers differently, she loved her friends differently, she loved the villagers in her home differently. Yet, at the same time, there was a deep emotion that kept them all tied to her, which she wondered was another different love.

"It's..." she began, but stopped herself as she lost the idea.

For her, love was both simple and complicated. Perhaps that was a downfall of being such a caring person like herself...or, maybe it was a blessing. To all those she loved, whether it was romantically like for Sasuke, or through friendship like Naruto, Sakura tried to find the common ground between them all.

"It's when you smile thinking of that person, and there's almost a need in you to be by that person always. You seek them out whenever you can," Sakura began.

Gaara remained quiet, letting Sakura continue as his mind tried to wrap around what she was telling him.

"It's when you would give up just about anything to make that person happy," Sakura murmured.

She would continue to pause after every explanation, trying to think of more and hoping the boy laying next to her understood what she was saying. She wanted to believe it was an emotion Gaara had not cast away just yet.

"It's when you would fight tooth and nail for them. You'll stand next to them no matter what, and be by their side to always help when they need you."

Her eyes went back to the boy's, and she offered him a gentle smile before finishing,

"You would even give up your life to save their own."

Gaara was silent, and Sakura watched as his eyes began to shift as he tried to understand all that he told her. It was perhaps because he had no person to have this drive for, but she was well aware his older self would know exactly what she spoke of. Eventually, his eyes found her again with wonder still set in his gaze.

"Do you love?" he asked her.

The hand that had been stroking Gaara's hair froze then, and Sakura said nothing when she realized this had not been the first time he had asked her this. In that moment, when she remembered Gaara first asking her this, her thoughts had selfishly fallen onto one man, Sasuke, and she had avoided the question to hide away the pain she felt at the moment. In a way, it contradicted what she had just explained to Gaara now. It should have been a smile that found her face back then, and she should have been able to answer him without hesitance.

Despite knowing this in her mind, her thoughts still fell to Sasuke, but it also fell to her friends. Still, a frown found her. As happy as her friends and family made her, and even good memories of Sasuke, her heart ached once more as she remembered how distant she was from all of them now. Soon enough, she thought of the scroll she needed to retrieve, and thought of the hope she still held onto that it would someway help her back home. It was a painful thought knowing the scroll would help her none and she would be back to square one, but it was also a shot to her heart knowing she could be a step closer saying goodbye to the boy next to her, who simply just wanted someone in his life to love.

Instead of answering, she pulled Gaara in for a tight hug.

"It's late," she whispered to him instead, much to his disappointment. "I'm going to sleep now, promise me you'll stay in the room tonight."

Even if Sakura relaxed her arms around him, Gaara still kept next to her warm form. Yet, his eyes were away from meeting hers and his frown was heavy

"I will," he answered her.

Once again, his fingers went to his chest, rubbing his skin lightly as Sakura drifted to sleep. He had understood her explanation, but the ache in his heart remained. He was not naive enough to not see that Sakura had avoided his question and, in his mind, no answer was an answer itself.


	36. Chapter 36

" _If you take the time to think about me at night._ "

...

" _I hope it doesn't keep you up._ "

...

" _I hope it does._ "

...

" _You used to say this song was to make me feel a certain way._ "

...

" _What was it again?_ "

...

" _I've forgotten._ "

...

" _But sometimes, when it rains._ "

...

" _I think I_ _can_ _hear you sing a familiar phrase._ "

* * *

The next morning, Sakura awoke with a greeting from a fresh blanket of snow all over the village. Though the clouds had cleared, and the sun shined brightly, Gaara had explained to Sakura that the white flakes never let up through the night until early morning.

"Isn't it pretty?" Sakura asked him.

Gaara agreed, but he did so sitting closely next to the small heater.

They each began their morning routine of getting dressed, but Sakura had stopped Gaara as she watched him pull his jacket, and boots, on.

"I'll go out and bring us some breakfast," she told him. "You just wait here for me."

Sakura's chest tightened when she saw Gaara's face morph into interminable anguish. He looked almost on the verge of tears, and his voice cracked like he would cry at any moment.

"Why?" he whimpered. "I want to go out too."

A part of Sakura almost caved in then but, as she recollected the task she needed to do alone first, she bit her tongue to keep her doubts down.

"I'll be real quick. I promise," Sakura said, apology in her look. "After we eat, we'll spend the whole day together outside. You'll get to play in the snow.

Gaara's reply was an angry toss of his boot, and an exaggerated huff as he fell flat on his back.

Sakura quickly came to him then, scooting herself behind his head before bringing her face down close to his. To her approach, Gaara quickly turned his head away so as not to look at her, and his pout was strong.

"Gaara-aaa," Sakura sang lightly, trying to get him to look at her.

Gaara huffed, but still did not turn to look at Sakura or answer her call.

"Gaara, my best friend, why won't you speak to your dear ol' Sakura? Do you hate me that much now?" Sakura continued to lightly sing.

She knew her words then would get a reaction, for the small boy understood hate and loss. His eyes quickly found her then, and even if his gaze was passive looking up into her eyes, he was quick to speak,

"No, I don't. I will never hate you, Sakura."

In that instant Sakura again felt her chest tighten, and she reached down to hug the boy.

"You're so cute," she told him. "I could never hate you either, Gaara."

After her words, her hold tightened.

"Never," she repeated.

After that, the boy reluctantly allowed Sakura to go without him.

As Sakura made it out into the white streets, she was instantly blinded by the sun's reflection in the snow, and she desperately tried to warm herself as she began her walk.

' _I suppose I got use to the heat back in Suna,_ ' she thought.

She took one last glance back towards the hotel, just to be sure the mischievous boy did not follow.

' _Sorry, Gaara,_ ' Sakura thought with a heavy frown. ' _I just have to be sure of something first..._ '

She turned and began a small sprint through the village. She kept her mind clear, and eyes out in front of her. She did this because she worried herself getting distracted by the familiar faces. She worried her old routine of stopping and greeting those she knew would return, and worse, she wondered how long she could keep her voice silent and not warn others about the future.

' _I could save Sandaime._ _I could save Jiraiya_ _and I could save Asuma-sensei_ ' she thought. ' _I could save many who will die in during Orochimaru's attack,_ _and other fights to come_ _._ '

Sakura quickly shook her head to those thoughts, trying to rid of them. She couldn't interfere with fate, even if fate decided to send her back here. As much of a change as she put in Gaara, his kindness in the future sprouted without her. She really did convince herself that action had been no harm, but to actually save lives, stop huge events…

' _You could stop Sasuke,_ ' something deeper in her mind told her. ' _Someone could watch him more closely, or you could hint to them about Orochimaru's plan._ '

That thought made her stop in her tracks.

' _You could do what you had wanted to in the past..._ '

Every night, when she was young, after Sasuke's abandonment, Sakura would often fantasize of the possibilities she would take if given another chance. In her young mind, she had dreamed for a chance like now before realizing that it would have to be through her own hands that would help bring Sasuke back. Instead of wishing, she set out to accomplish a goal that she achieved many years later.

And yet…

Buried in her thoughts, Sakura hadn't noticed the man who was now curiously watching her. Indulged in his book, he would have paid the woman no mind, but she had stopped so suddenly and remained frozen on the busy sidewalk that she had eventually nabbed his attention. He watched her as minutes began to pass, and Sakura still chose to look out distantly and in her same spot. Perhaps she was lost, the man assumed, and tried to convince his mind that it was not his problem. Yet, when her presence distracted him still, he decided he would just leave to find somewhere else to enjoy his book.

His steps went passed her before his mind reminded him that he had never seen this black-haired lady before. Perhaps she was not from the village, his mind told him. Perhaps, she needed help, his mind told him. It would be then, as the young man turned around and made a straight line back to Sakura, that he realized there was something that was drawing him back to her. Though he couldn't explain, he also couldn't ignore her like he did with so many others in the past. To him, it was kind of annoying. Despite that feeling though, he smiled as he stopped in front of Sakura.

"Need help?" he began. "Have you by chance lost your way?"

Sakura's thoughts quickly vanished as a voice broke through to her, and her eyes whipped fast to the young man's. Yet, as their gazes locked, Sakura tensed and her eyes even widened.

' _Kakashi-sensei!_ ' her mind screamed.

Of all the familiar faces she could have ran in to first, it seemed almost comical that it was his. How out of character for him, she realized then that he approached her first. For her, there was also this awkward tension knowing they were just about the same age now.

"Um…" she began, lost in her own words as she tried to read his facial expression

In her mind, a small anger was also fomenting. She wanted to ask him what the heck was he thinking sending her on a courier mission to Suna. She wanted to tell him of all the trouble he had put her through, and that he better help her now find a way home. Yet, as she lingered silently, his carefree face began to morph to confusion. He was inspecting her then; quietly trying to interpret her motives. He was a future teacher following one of his many rules that he, tried, to drive into his students; Look underneath.

"Haruno residence?" she quickly asked, wanting to end the conversation fast and move on her way.

Yet, as she asked this, her heart dropped dreadfully when she saw Kakashi's eyes widen some in surprise. His words, even more, shocked her.

"Haruno," he repeated "That's a name I haven't heard in _some_ time."

* * *

Sakura jogged now. If given the choice, she would be running, but she knew not to draw the attentive eye in her direction.

" _Passed away in a fire._ "

Kakashi's words rang in her mind as she continued to sprint lightly.

" _Passed away?! Both Kizashi and Mebuki?!_ " Sakura had retorted, shocked.

The silver-haired man had nodded.

" _Then!_ " Sakura began to ask again. " _Then there daughter…?!_ "

One of Sakura's biggest worries coming to the village was the older, but familiar, face she would be showing off. Maybe if others couldn't make the connection with her now dark hair, she knew her parents, if they saw her, would catch the familiarity in a flash. Not to mention, if Gaara were to see a tiny version of her own self, name and looks, she was sure big questions she couldn't answer would arise. With time, long ago, she had realized she was going to have to explain to Gaara that he would one day meet a girl who resembled her. Sakura was yet unsure at that time if she would reveal the truth to him, as absurd as it would sound, or if she would convince him that that Sakura, and her own self, were two different people. She grimaced thinking of her young self, and how passing she would probably be of Gaara if he approached her during the exams. Her mind, at the age she first met Gaara, was solely set on Sasuke.

These decisions of what to tell Gaara exactly would have come, though, once she found a way back home. Later, always later in her mind. Ready, when she would decide he was ready. Time, in time she decided.

Yet…

Her steps slowed as she walked past the familiar sculpture. The giant stone, red fire did not draw her eyes, instead she looked out towards the many graves. The atmosphere was completely calm and quiet until the crunch under her boots, from the snow, echoed as she walked deeper into the cemetery. Her forefathers resting place was same, the Haruno name was not scattered but instead took up their own place in the cemetery just like many other families. Last she had visited, the stones had stopped at her grandparents' names, but now there were two new stones coming forward that she knew her own world did not have.

Sakura stared hard towards the graves of her parents. It was unnerving to her in the sense that this would, one day, very well be a future that would happen to her despite her parents still healthy and prospering in her own time. After all, everyone met their end one day. The sight was unsettling the longer she stared, but she held on to her strength with the knowledge that these people were technically not her true parents, but it did raise questions and make her wonder,

' _Is this my fault?_ '

Though their passing was before her arrival, Sakura had wondered if this world had been altered for her sake. Somewhere, did someone or something know she would come to the past one day? Had it dispose both Kizashi and Mebuki because Sakura's presence shook balance in this world, or was just this another world completely?

Maybe everything here, where Sakura thought was the same, actually wasn't. She was aware of Gaara's hard past, but maybe she assumed too much of what happened now had also transpired in her world. Maybe certain events weren't the same, disregarding her. Maybe Gaara in her own time had someone else watching him, maybe Annaisha hadn't passed. Maybe he wasn't as lonely in her own time, perhaps he was just an angry child. In other words, she couldn't discern now how different this world was from her own. She thought it the same, but how could she now looking towards the graves under her?

Sakura knelt down, gently pressing her hand against each stone slab.

"I'm sorry," she whispered to them. "It wasn't my choice."

If this was somehow her fault, she apologized. Her parent's were good people, she believed these people were as well, and was hurt to see their lives ended so soon. Yet, she also explained, asked them forgive, that it had been out of her control. Standing back, Sakura searched for one more slab, just in case, even despite what Kakashi had told her.

" _Daughter?_ " he had asked with blinking, wide eyes. " _Mm_ _m,_ _I don't recall the two having a child, or expecting._ "

Through the stones, and many names, she did not find a Sakura. It felt like all the more evidenced piled up on her then that this world had been revolved around her unexpected arrival. That, or this was all merely an illusion of some kind. That thought itself was too painful to accept, however. There was a little boy waiting on her, expecting her, smiling towards her, embracing her, and she couldn't put his face under the category of illusion. Gaara was all too real to her, and she would accept nothing else.

Sakura then looked up towards the sky above.

"I'm sorry," she repeated.

She said this to a little girl who apparently had no part in this world, but deserved one. Perhaps her small role would be replaced by another, but Sakura still apologized to her younger self of this world, though non-existent it seemed. If her presence robbed anything, she would ask forgiveness to whoever controlled this world, but she also hoped there was someone out there who would take up her role. The village needed her, Naruto needed her, and Sasuke needed her. Most of all, as she hoped through her departure, Gaara would find her and have peace in his heart.

Yet, like in her own world, it seemed there was only one Sakura here.

For now.

* * *

"Sakura's back!" Gaara had cried enthusiastically upon her return.

The young woman smiled, surprised to see Gaara so energetic compared to his calm self. To her return, he began racing around the room, using his sand to jump here and there while crying out in almost a song.

"She's back! She's back! She's back!"

Eventually she settled the boy down to some warm soup and rice for breakfast. For her, rice and a can of warm coffee was enough to keep her going through the day. Coffee was always a medics friend to keep them going through the work day. They were quiet as they ate, Sakura still lost in her own thoughts from earlier as Gaara watched her curiously while she opened her can of coffee.

"What are you drinking?" he eventually asked.

"Coffee," she replied, her eyes still looking out towards the window.

Gaara chewed some more while staring at her.

"Can I try?" he asked.

To his question, Sakura smirked. The black coffee had no sugar or milk, and she stuck out her tongue towards Gaara before replying,

"It's bitter. You won't like it."

Despite this, Sakura could see Gaara's eyes still sparkle with amusement, so she handed the can over to his reaching hand. She began to chuckle as Gaara sniffed the opening some before grimacing in disgust.

"It won't taste anything like kakigori," she warned him.

Gaara brought the can slowly to his lips. He mentally prepared himself for the bad taste before tilting his head back and lifting the can above him.

Sakura smiled mischievously, watching Gaara take his first, big gulp of the coffee and anticipating the moment he would pull back and cry in disgust. Yet, as the seconds began to pass, Sakura could see the ball in his throat bounce back and forth while he continued to chug the black substance.

' _What the?_ ' Sakura quickly thought. ' _He actually likes it?!_ '

Sakura quickly reached over the table, pulling back the can.

"Give me that!" she cried.

She shook the can lightly once it was back in her hands, jaw dropping as she realized Gaara had drank about a quarter more of the can.

"Ah," she murmured. "You drank so much of it."

She turned back to watch Gaara licking his lips, trying to steal some more of the lingering taste. Her eye twitched as she thought to herself.

' _So much caffeine..._ '

She eyed the boy, as if she expected the effects of caffeine to suddenly take place. Yet, to her stare, he stared back momentarily before offering her a big smile.

"I like it," he said before returning to his rice.

Sakura, not amused at all by Gaara's nonchalant words, hummed instead of speaking. She went back to stare at the can for moment, blinking as she saw the opening glisten lightly with saliva from Gaara's taste. The act of sharing drinks from the same can, or any food from the same bowl, grossed her out. Unless she was the recipient of Sasuke's own can, or bottle of water, as much as she tried to convince him when they were younger to share with her, typically she would toss what others drank or ate from her.

However, this time, even if the glistening moisture should have made her stomach curl with disgust, she found another opportunity to tease the boy.

"One day," Sakura began before looking towards the boy. "I'll get to brag to all the people in Suna."

Gaara paused his eating then, looking back towards Sakura skeptically.

"Why?" he asked, his brow bone raising.

Sakura chuckled once before shaking the can of coffee for him to see.

"I'll get to go around telling everyone how Gaara kissed me."

Sakura laughed lightly as she saw the boy's eyes widen and jaw begin to hang. He had even slowly descended his arm to the table, and his eyes whipped around the room and towards Sakura back and forth before he gulped.

For her, she took another glance at the can.

' _Maybe it will be my blackmail,_ ' Sakura thought humorously, as she could only imagine Gaara's future face to a story such as this.

Yet, her attention was stolen by the little boy as he asked in a whisper,

"You're...You're going to kiss...me?"

For Sakura, the kiss only represented a joke to her mind.

To Gaara, even if young, her words made his mind spark with recollecting words she had once told him. It had gone back to the night they had seen Baki and Annaisha kissing, and while the concept to him before was just an intimacy people shared, he had learned it's deeper meaning through Sakura's teaching.

" _Kissing? Why?_ " he had once asked her, and she explained.

" _Because they love each other._ "

Did this mean, he wondered, that Sakura…

However, before his mind could wrap around the concept, and what her meaning entitled, Sakura gave another chuckle before sipping on her coffee. He watched as she gently placed a hand on her cheek then, watching her feign deep heartfelt.

"Gaara," she murmured. "You're my first kiss."

He was confused, and now watched with narrow eyes as Sakura turned to him with a giant grin before shaking the can once more.

"Indirect kiss," she laughed.

_Now_ it made all the more sense to him. Another one of her jokes, but despite her laughter, he found himself instead returning to his food trying to drown out the anger in his mind over what had just happened. Yet, as her laughing continued to ring in the room, he spoke out.

"Your first kiss?" he asked her with a sneer that he held for others instead of her. "Shouldn't you have had one by now?"

Looking back at her, Gaara instantly regretted his words. He had tried to hurt her like she had him just now, but had expected her reply to be a loud, angry cry. Instead, what he got was sad eyes, and a heavy frown as she looked down towards the floor below her. Her laugh had died, and the room filled with silence as Sakura lost herself to her thoughts.

For Sakura, it felt almost not that long ago that Ino called her stupid for holding out for one man. Hinata, meanwhile, had told her she had respected Sakura's perseverance, and that holding out for the right one would be rewarding once she found him. Each woman's view on her was different, and while she didn't care for any of their judgment, she did have to admit waiting all these years was both hard, and a little sad. She endured the heartache of not seeing Sasuke for so long, and held on to his departing words that he would see her again soon to keep herself from straying to others.

' _Love is hard..._ ' she decided, even if she saw the world around her with many, happy relationships.

She took a sip of her coffee before looking out the window.

"Maybe," she answered Gaara. "But...I'm waiting."

Gaara's eyes had widened some, and he watched Sakura stare out the window for some time before asking,

"Who are you waiting for?"

To his question, Sakura shook her head. She looked back towards the boy with a forced smile then.

"I'm waiting for you to finish up your food so we can go out!" Sakura told him then. "Hurry up, and stop asking and saying silly things. A kid like you shouldn't worry about gross stuff like kissing, you should be thinking about where we will go next to play."

Gaara's frown was heavy as he saw the hurt still behind Sakura's smile, and her assumptions, in a way, felt like she was undermining him because of his age. Nonetheless, he left the topic be, and instead nodded towards Sakura before picking back up his rice.

* * *

Surprisingly, their first tribulation in the village began as soon as Sakura beckoned Gaara outside. Instead of following, he lingered at the entryway, and peered at those crossing the street in front of him.

"Come on," Sakura told him, offering her hand so he would follow suit.

Instead, he continued to stand back and watch the many faces walk by. For him, the masses of people were a bit intimidating. He was use to much smaller groups, ones that kept their distance and gave him almost a whole street of space. Here, people crowded the pavement, and no eyes fell to him. It was relieving in its own way, but also daunting. He couldn't imagine the hoards of this many people staring down at him with distaste, but eventually, he built up his courage with Sakura's next words.

"If you stay in there the whole time you'll never see a cherry blossom."

He took small steps towards her then, stopping to peer up at those that past him just to make sure their eyes didn't fall to him. As soon as he noticed that people paid him no mind, he quickly made his way towards Sakura before latching his gloved hand into hers.

"Don't worry," Sakura told him, squeezing his hand. "I'll be here with you the whole time. Nothing bad is going to happen."

He nodded, and they began their walk.

"Where are we going?" Gaara asked, his eyes still focusing on every little thing.

Sakura hummed in thought.

"Want me to teach you how to build a snowman?"

The boy smiled, nodding enthusiastically.

"Un!" he answered.

Their walk to the park was not a short one, for Gaara stopped at every monument and in front of every store before pointing in and asking Sakura to explain to him what significance each place held. She did her best to explain before dragging the boy along. After all, their time here was not long, and she didn't want to spend it all just parading around the village.

"Matsuri wanted me to bring her something back..."

Gaara had mumbled those words to Sakura through their walk, and it caused the young woman to stop in her steps and stare down at the boy in wonder. In the back of her mind, she had tried to keep Matsuri's request fresh in her thoughts since she assumed Gaara to forget. Yet, to his announcement, Sakura couldn't help but smile gently.

"You're pretty selfless, aren't you?" Sakura ended up asking him.

Though, the answer to that question was already obvious to her. In the end, he would sacrifice himself for his village and also lead a war to save his first friend. Gaara was the definition of altruistic, and she was happy to see his child self now reflect this. It countered very much the angry teenager she remembered, and she was more then confident his happy, respected self would not falter now from this point.

' _Maybe he was already like this as a child,_ ' she suddenly thought. ' _Maybe it was puberty that made him snap._ '

Her cheeks grew red as she stifled a laugh to that thought. She knew very well his anger did not stem from hormones, but nonetheless found the idea humorous. She also found it a little sad because, regardless of how she knew him, she preferred this tiny, sweet Gaara than his quiet, noble, older self. Though she would never perform or condone such an act, she wondered if such a jutsu existed to keep the child from growing.

Gaara did not reply to Sakura's question, but instead eyed one of those stores in front of him. It was a silent cue for Sakura to bring him in to the small trinket store.

"What did you want to give her?"

"...I don't know."

What do you give someone, Gaara wondered. It would be his first time giving a gift to another, and his mind suddenly juggled with doubt and confusion. However, his jostled nerves left him when he remembered Sakura's guiding hand. In his mind, too, he tried to analyze possibilities. He tried to think back to his brother and sister, comparing them to Matsuri. He remembered every child loved toys, but as he picked up a doll, it was Sakura who shook her head.

"Let's get her something special. Something she can't find in Suna."

Gaara scratched his head then, this time trying to remember what Temari valued when she came to his room. Matsuri and her were more similar to age anyway. He picked up a small fan.

"That?" Sakura asked.

Gaara studied the object while trying to figure out in his mind if the fan was an acceptable choice. However, as Sakura moved her hand into his to hold the fan, whipping it quickly out of his grasp and causing a small breeze to lift and tickle his hair, he let out a loud giggle.

"Do you think she'll like it?" Gaara asked Sakura as the woman examined the fan.

Sakura hummed in thought before shaking her head and placing the fan back.

"That seems more like something Temari would like."

Stumped again, the boy narrowed his eyes as he glanced out in front of him.

"This is hard," he admitted. "Girls are picky."

Sakura chuckled hearing that, so much truth in his words.

"You have no idea," she told him.

Gaara's eyes slid towards Sakura, watching her for some time before he spoke,

"If it was you, what would you want?"

Sakura's eyes widened then in surprise.

"Me?" she asked, before tilting her head some in thought.

As seconds turned to minutes without an answer, Gaara once again narrowed his eyes.

"Girls are _too_ picky," he mumbled.

"Hey now…!" the woman replied, poking Gaara lightly in the stomach. "That's not true for all of us, and boys can be just as picky."

She took a moment to eye the room for a moment before sighing.

"If it was from you, Gaara," she said before turning to grin at him. "I'd cherish anything you gave me."

She didn't miss the way Gaara's eyes had widened then, and even pink colored his cheeks seeing her giant grin. As he turned away to hide his shy face, Sakura decided to change the subject so as not to tease him anymore then she had already today.

"How about this?" she asked, picking a cheap necklace up for him to see.

It was a small necklace with a small, multi-colored, looking stone. A cheap thing, but something Sakura assumed the girl would like, if not the necklace than at least the stone.

"This stone is found only in the Land of Fire," Sakura explained to Gaara. "You won't find it in Suna, so Matsuri will be able to show it off and tell everyone how you were kind enough to get her something so special."

The boy's eyes only grew brighter and brighter to each word Sakura told him, and he needed no more convincing making the purchase.

"Don't lose it now," she told him as she offered him the box with the necklace.

She smiled when she saw Gaara tuck the box neatly away before he looked back up at her.

"I hope she doesn't hate me if she doesn't like it," he replied, and made Sakura frown heavily.

"There's no way she will hate it, or you, ever," Sakura said before offering her hand to Gaara.

The boy reached for her, and they continued their walk as Sakura continued to speak.

"Gifts are really meaningful. It shows you care for the person a lot to think about them and use your resources to make them happy."

As she explained this, Sakura realized Gaara may not grasp gift giving as prominent as she was portraying. After all, it wasn't his money spent for the gift, but his heart was certainly in the right place remembering Matsuri had asked. Surprisingly, even if he kept quiet, Gaara understood this teaching with ease and smiled as he remembered his small, blue bunny back home.

As the two reached the park, Gaara had stood back some to ogle how big the park was, and how many swings and slides this one had compared to one back at home. It would be Sakura beckoning him to follow as she laughed while rushing towards the thick, white powder.

"Come on," she told him. "Help me build a snowman!"

The concept of building one almost came naturally to him despite never seeing snow before; as if the task was embedded in his child mind. He would build the smaller parts of the body before handing the ball over to Sakura who used her strength to roll the ball of snow around to make the snowman as tall as her. She had picked up the small boy to place rocks for the eyes, and guided him how to draw a huge smile on the man of snow before the two stepped back to appreciate their work. It would be Sakura placing her hands on her hips before stating,

"For your first snowman, it looks pretty decent."

Gaara sniffed before wiping his cold nose, taking in Sakura's words.

"I think I can make another one."

Sakura turned to watch as Gaara took a deep breath in suddenly. Her eyes widened curiously as he stuck his hands out in front of him before he twitched his fingers simultaneously, and she stepped back some once his sand began snaking out of the his gourd on his back. Despite living in the desert heat that accumulated no snow, Sakura pouted lightly when she realized Gaara always had the means to use mother nature to shift and contort to his liking. In short, while it would never be a _snow_ man, Gaara had the resources of always making a sandman, and it only took him seconds to make it rise as tall as the snowman they built.

"Ho?" Sakura hummed, impressed by Gaara's skills. "I guess I should have known you'd already done something like this before. Now that I think about it, you use to shift the sand for Matsuri..."

Her voiced trailed to a stop, but her head whipped fast towards Gaara once she heard his heavy panting. The boy continued to breath hard, and used his knees to keep his now heavy body up, and Sakura could even see some light sweat perspiring.

"Gaara, are you alright?" Sakura asked as she knelt to his level and placed a gentle hand on his back.

To her approach, the boy forced a tired grin to assure her he'd be alright, but his breaths replaced his assuring voice. To this, Sakura tilted her head in wonder. She was aware of the chakra Gaara had, and couldn't imagine how something so trivial as this had tired him out.

"You're out of breath, just from that?" she asked, watching the boy finally straighten his back up. "I thought you were stronger than this."

"I...am..." he breathed out to Sakura, trying to bring up a visual facade to hide away his fatigue.

He drew in a big breath through his nose before exhaling through his mouth and then turned to face Sakura. She was surprised to be met with narrow eyes.

"Don't think of me incapable to hurt, or kill, others," he suddenly proclaimed.

Sakura raised her eyebrows then, trying to stifle back a laugh from this young boy's sudden angry words. It just looked too comical for her as he proclaimed this next to a snowman and sandman.

"Right, right," Sakura said, standing herself back up and placing her hands on her hips again. "But...You do know I'm still the strongest between us."

With a blink, Gaara's narrow gaze was up with Sakura's. He said nothing, but his eyes held a challenge.

"Hey now," Sakura warned him. "Don't get so worked up about it. You're still just a kid after all."

She was right, he seemed to remember, for his angry gaze let up as he sighed and tore his eyes back towards the snow.

' _What?_ ' Sakura lightly mused. ' _He still has some anger in him?_ '

As he looked distantly out ahead of him, Sakura took the distraction to go in and pinch his cheek before his sand swatted her palm lightly back.

"Ow," Gaara hissed, rubbing his cheek before turning to look back at Sakura.

"Don't get grumpy on me now. You know what we need to do next, right?"

Gaara blinked some, eyes never tearing away from Sakura.

"What?" he asked curiously.

"Watch," Sakura grinned. "I'll show you how strong I am."

Sakura's smile was smug as she casually strolled back towards the snowman they had built. She cracked her knuckles before bringing a fist up. Her punch was aimed towards the snowman's head, and as she threw her fist towards its face, she suddenly stopped her fist before flicking the snowman's face with a small tap of her finger. An explosion of powdery white suddenly showered both her and Gaara, and Sakura grinned as she heard Gaara's cries of laughter as the snowman was completely obliterated. As she turned back to Gaara, she was met with his fascinated gaze.

"You killed it!" he exclaimed.

Through his excitement Sakura did not have the heart to remind him the object was inanimate and therefore could not be killed, but instead struck a pose as she brought up her fist.

"See?" she told him. "Told you I was pretty strong."

Gaara's smile was big as he nodded to agree with Sakura.

"You're a monster, just like me!" he excitedly cried.

Sakura's eyes narrowed then.

"Monster?!" she cried, offended. "I'm not a monster, and I keep telling you that you're not one either."

The boy simply laughed to Sakura's outburst, still amused by her performance, and Sakura in time let go of her anger as his contagious laughter rubbed off on her. As their laughs died, she swung her finger in the direction of the sandman for Gaara's eyes to follow.

"Your turn," she told him.

Gaara needed no explanation regarding what was expected of him now. He was more than eager to destroy his sandy creation in a similar manner. Yet, as he bought his flat palms up and faced them toward the sandman, Sakura had stopped him.

"Try using your body instead," she told him.

This had made Gaara stop, and he tilted his head towards Sakura in confusion.

"It's my sand," he told her. "I can just call it back."

He grinned mischievously before narrow eyes went back towards the sandman.

"-or crush it!" he hissed while instinctively clenching his fist.

Sakura, however, drew back his attention.

"Nn," she said with a shake of her head. "I want you to use your fists, and legs."

"Why?" the boy whined lightly, finding his approach more amusing than hers.

"Because you need to start training your body," she told him, offering up a little guidance of her own to better Gaara. "Your sand can crush and defend, but what happens if someone comes along and gets past all of that?"

Gaara sneered lightly then.

"No such thing," he declared with confidence. "I _am_ strong."

Despite his assured self, his mind did falter to see her way once she replied,

"Your father can."

Sakura was quiet after that, letting the boy digest this information some. He relied too much on his defense, Sakura had realized this about Gaara once her team was sent out to rescue him from Akatsuki all those years ago. While his defense was above average, she assumed Gaara could have been the stronger ninja had he just trained his body for combat, and he could save up his chakra by not relying on his sand for physical attacks.

"So, can I," she told him, and she once again earned his narrow eyes. "Don't assume your sand will save you every time."

In her mind, she pictured his older, lifeless body from the time of his rescue.

' _Because it won't,_ ' she finished the thought in her mind.

Gaara continued to stare quietly at Sakura, almost with challenging eyes that wanted to defend himself more on the matter. However, he kept quiet as Sakura returned his look, and he followed her order once she nudged her head towards the sandman.

"Go on then," she told him.

She watched as he punched, clawed, and kicked the sandman down a bit. With each passing hit, his angry eyes let up, and he laughed in amusement destroying his sand. After all his grains raced back to his gourd, he turned to Sakura with a grin and waiting for the praise she always had for him.

Sakura came up to him with a smile of her own and gently pet his hair.

"You're a good boy, Gaara," she told him. "You're one of the strongest kids I've ever met. Keep training, and I _know_ you'll be one of the strongest men too."

Gaara grinned then, happy to hear such a claim from Sakura.

"I'll throw punches like you one day!"

Sakura tilted her eyes then and hummed in thought before snickering and sticking her tongue out at the boy.

"Nah!" she told him. "There's no way you'll catch up to me!"

Gaara tightened his fists then, stomping his foot in a small tantrum.

"I will too!" he cried back at Sakura.

The young woman opened her mouth, about to retort, but was suddenly cut short by small cries that raced in their direction.

"Did you see that? He can move sand!"

"Hey, hey, do it again!"

"Who is that kid anyway?"

Sakura stepped back as a small group of kids suddenly appeared, and they all raced, or made some way, towards the small redhead and surrounded him. She blinked, wondering where such a large group had come from, but it made all the more sense to her as she heard a familiar voice call out.

"Everyone, don't wander off where I can't see you!"

Sakura turned her head then to the older man's voice, and her eyes widened to who she saw.

"Iruka-sensei," she whispered for her ears only.

However, as she took in his appearance, a nervous laugh left her then.

"...He looks so much younger," she whispered.

She did the math quick in her head and realized Iruka had to be about a few years younger than her now. Next to her, the crowd around Gaara continued to speak.

"What's your name?"

"Where are you from?"

"How did you get that mark on your head?"

"How can you use sand like that, you're about the same age as us!"

Sakura eyed Gaara then, and though he backed away from the group slowly with shifty, nervous eyes, he gulped before nodding to the kids.

"Gaara," he whispered finally. "I'm Gaara."

More questions from the kids came. Requests for him to show them his sand, or to come play with them, came. So many voices spoke to him then that Gaara was quiet and wide-eyed staring towards each child. To it all, Sakura smiled. Never before had a crowd with smiles and interest for the boy form like this, and while his mind in the past would be warning him, Gaara was able to remember Sakura's words instead then.

" _You'll have so many friends._ "

" _Everyone will look up to you._ "

" _It may not happen now, but someday. I promise._ "

Was this the start of what she had been telling him all this time, he wondered. It seemed, as Gaara's eyes went up to look up at Sakura then, her mind was exactly at the same place as his, for she smiled towards him big, before telling him,

"Go play, Gaara."

He grinned then, showing off his white teeth, minus the one tooth, before turning and facing the new kids around him with courage instead of apprehension. In a way, Sakura knew his smile was also a silent thanks to her, for guiding him down the path to a moment like this to happen to his once sad, lonely life.

"Want to build a snowman?" he asked the kids around him.

They agreed with laughs and smiles of their own, and with small steps first, eyes making sure each new face did not hold a hostile distaste, he led the children away to a small, snowy opening to do just that. And to all the moments between people back in Suna, or the tears he had shed through guilt and remorse he had learn to accept, or of him finally acknowledging Sakura and her guidance, the young woman then could not think of a moment she felt any more proud of the redhead, and he stepped forward with a smile on his face and friends by his side.

For the first time, as doubtful and worried as she had always been about it, she realized now that Gaara would be just fine without her.

' _He knows what to do now,_ ' she thought with a smile that continued to watch him.

Her smile carried her all the way to the bench, and she sighed with a smile still while taking a seat next to Iruka. Not surprisingly, as she remembered her old, bubbly teacher, he was quick to introduce himself.

"This is my first year as a teacher," he told Sakura. "They assigned me to the younger ones, but I hope in a few years I can teach some of the older students."

His eyes turned to his students then.

"They were so full of energy today...I sorta thought that maybe I could tire them out a little here at the park."

Iruka, as she remembered him to be like, could be quite the talker, and Sakura listened quietly with a smile on her face.

Iruka scratched the back of his head before nervously laughing.

"I know we should be inside and studying, I hope the other teachers don't look down on me for this."

Sakura broke her silence then, shaking her head.

"I think you're doing a wonderful job," she told him. "Sometimes a break like this is what we need. Teachers included."

She sniffed then, staring at her hands in wonder.

"Besides," Sakura began. "Life as a shinobi isn't an easy one. You never know if a memory they make here today is what helps them pull forward in a troubling time in the future."

Sakura eyed Gaara again, eyes narrowed as she spoke this, but as she looked back up at Iruka's face full of awe to her words, her eyes went round.

"Uh...Sorry," she said then. "Just me rambling."

It was Iruka's turn to shake his head, and a soft smile found his face looking at Sakura.

"No," he said. "That was a very encouraging thing to hear. Thank you."

They were quiet again for some time, watching the children play together. It wasn't until they watched Gaara begin showing off his sand did Iruka speak up.

"He is very advanced for his age."

Sakura blinked then, her mind suddenly falling to where those powers mostly stemmed from.

"He...Gaara is special," Sakura said, leaving it at just that.

A frown appeared as Sakura recollected the sad, troubled past that led them to this point. Even if she was revealing more than she ever promised to in this village, she knew her words would be kept safe by Iruka. That's just how she remembered her teacher to be.

"The adults and children in Suna are cruel to him. It warms my heart to see him playing now...with a smile."

Iruka said nothing as he stared at Sakura's solemn face. At the moment, even if she would never realize it, Iruka could sympathize with Sakura on a level of understanding. He, too, cherished someone who was mostly spat upon and looked at with ill-intent. At the thought of Sakura being like him, opening her heart to someone everyone probably told her not to, he couldn't stop himself from saying,

"You must be a very kind person. I'm sure you care a lot for him."

Sakura's eyes widened, and she whipped her head fast to Iruka who had a smile ready for her. To her silence, Iruka only kept his smile before he tilted his head.

"Am I wrong?" he asked.

He wasn't, Sakura realized. Even if she would never boast of her kindness, she couldn't deny the feelings she clearly had for the child. As happy as she was to hear someone tell her that again, it was a painful ache she had in her heart when she remembered that she would one day be torn from the small boy. It was then, she pursed her lips as she felt heat well up in her eyes. She turned her head back to stare at her lap, and as strong as she was, probably one of the strongest women of her time, she couldn't fight away the tears that began to shower down, and for once, she opened up to another about her fears.

"I have to leave him soon..." she whispered to Iruka.

Nothing was said for the moment, and Sakura assumed Iruka to think of her case as a hopeless one since he kept quiet. To her tears, she could hear Iruka sigh before speaking.

"I take it, from your tears, your return won't be anytime soon, or at all."

Sakura nodded to this, and another sigh escaped the young man.

"You'll just have to go on remembering that smile, and praying the best for him."

Sakura sniffed then.

"I know he'll be alright. I know he will make a fine person one day. I know his days in solitude are numbered. I know he has those close to him to already fall back on."

All Sakura said was true. She knew Gaara's future well. She was given a chance to see someone's future like so many with worry dreamed of having, and she was well aware of this. So, she couldn't fathom why…

"I don't know why I cry for his sake. I don't know why I worry when I've taught him the best path in life. I don't know why there's still a need in me to be by his side always, even when it forsakes many others."

To these words Iruka chuckled softly.

"Really? You don't know?"

Sakura sniffed again, turning her eyes to Iruka's smug smile.

"Have you never felt this same way before?" he inquired.

Sakura blinked, thinking for a moment where she may have cried, worried, and forsake others just for one person.

' _Sasuke,_ ' her mind instantly went to.

It seemed her silence was all the answer Iruka needed, for he shed a little more light onto Sakura then.

"It's because you love him. Worrying for his sake, and wishing him the best is just some of the many things that come with love," Iruka told her with a grin.

He carried that grin back to Gaara.

"I have no doubt he loves you too."

Sakura sniffed again, but this time also brought up a smile to her old teacher's wise mind.

"There will probably be days you will continue to cry and worry for him, but there will also be days you smile and remember all the good times that brought you to love that little boy."

His smile turned then back to Sakura.

"For you, I'm sure he will do the same. Even if it remains hard you at least have each other, in your own minds, to keep pushing forward."

Sakura returned Iruka's smile then, realizing tears threatened her no more.

"Thank you," she murmured to Iruka.

Iruka, embarrassed, just laughed lightly while scratching his chin.

"Sorry if I said too much," he told her. "I know we don't know each other. Like I said, I can just go on sometimes."

Sakura shook her head.

"Nn," she told him. "It's just what I needed to hear. You...seem to understand exactly what I'm saying."

Iruka laughed lightly then, knowing Sakura's words were all too true.

"Sort of," he told her. "I know it isn't right of me as a teacher, but there is one child that sticks out more to me than the others."

Sakura looked away, humming to herself as she remembered which child it was Iruka shared a close bond with.

' _Iruka takes him for ramen just as much as I take Gaara for kakigori_ ,' Sakura thought amused.

Before Sakura could continue her light talk, a shower of hard, cold snow suddenly came tumbling down both her and Iruka. The tree that loomed above them, over the bench, had been suddenly shaken, and the snow had fallen to only leave bare branches behind. Sakura had let out a small cry to the sensation, and as she eyed the culprit who had shook the branches, her eyes widened wide.

"Naruto!" Iruka was the first to scream his name, standing and shaking his fists at the snickering kid. "Where were you this morning?! Skipping class again?! Get down from there!"

The blonde boy grinned, lightly rocking himself on top of a branch still. He stuck his tongue towards Iruka in retaliation to his words.

"Naruto," Sakura whispered lightly.

She was in slight awe seeing her teammate suddenly reversed in age. Yet, her composure only came when she saw sand suddenly swimming towards the blonde, and she panicked when she realized Gaara's intention. Naruto, too, seemed wary of the sand and backed himself a little more into the tree.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" he cried as the sand came closer.

"Gaara, stop!" Sakura called, looking back towards the boy.

To Sakura's cry, Gaara somewhat sneered with a rock of his head, but nonetheless did what she had asked. His grains and sense to protect had been provoked by Sakura's scream, so it was not a battle in his mind to pull back knowing Sakura was alright.

"That was weird," Naruto mumbled, nabbing Sakura's attention once again.

She watched as Naruto jumped back down to the snowy ground, and ran away from Iruka's approach and loud screams. Though, Iruka did not pursue, he had a group of children behind him to watch after all. Instead, surprising both Gaara and Iruka, Sakura sped in the direction Naruto was headed.

"Ah!" Iruka called after her. "It's alright! You don't have to chase him, I'll reprimand him later! Besides, your little one here-!"

His voice was already lost to her though the minute she took in Naruto's appearance. She wasn't even sure why she chased after the blonde, it just felt like something her mind and body unconditionally decided on when first seeing him. She wasn't even sure what she was going to say to him if she caught up with him.

"Leave me alone you old hag!" Naruto called out when he realized she was catching up closer.

As if trying to mimic senbons, Naruto threw toothpicks towards her suddenly. Though, she needn't dodge for the boy's skills had the toothpicks flying in different directions that missed her.

"Please," Sakura called to him. "Just wait one moment."

Naruto ignored her, instead skidding before running down another street. Sakura followed, and turned just in time to watch Naruto scramble to hide himself behind a few stacked boxes. At that moment, Sakura stopped. She drew in a breath before sighing, and while she had chased the boy in a means to speak with him, she suddenly stood there frozen and contemplating. Again, she wondered what was the reason she drew herself to him. There was barely anything she could tell him that he would listen to, and to reveal the future may leave Naruto baffled.

If she thought about it deeply enough, he was _not_ her Naruto. Yet, she wanted to believe differently, and wanted to imagine this Naruto would accomplish all the greatness her own friend back home had done. Even if there was no Sakura in this world, she smiled convincing herself this Naruto would lead the world to a more peaceful place, bring enemies together, and save his closest allies.

She believed this Naruto and Gaara would one day shake hands together with smiles on their faces.

And if this world did not want a Sakura of their own, than she would happily back away now and return to her own world knowing this Naruto would have a bright future, just as much as she was sure Gaara would as well.

"Naruto," she called to him lightly.

She could see a bright, blue eye suddenly peek at her through the cracks of the stacked boxes. She nabbed his attention with the use of his name, and he studied her then, trying to recollect her face. Yet, she gave him no time to do so, knew it was in vain anyway, and instead recollected in her mind how important this boy in front of her was. He would one day become her closest ally, almost seemingly like a brother to her. There would a drive in him to protect her first before she ever returned the favor, and he would honor a promise that he started at their young age. They would fight together, laugh together, share a passion to bring a friend home together, and they would save the world together.

Maybe with someone else, this Naruto would do the same.

"Don't ever give up. They will all depend on you someday," she told him.

She turned on her heel after that, a smile on her face still.

Only when her figure was gone from his sight, did Naruto step out from behind the boxes and look out towards the direction Sakura had taken. He took a few moments to himself before ungraciously wiping his nose with his arm.

"Crazy lady," he labeled her before turning and heading in the opposite direction.

* * *

Sakura met Gaara halfway back to the park. Her eyes widened in surprise when she caught sight of his scowl. Before she could even ask, he bellowed,

"You left me behind!"

Sakura waved her hand to this and forced a smile.

"I'm so sorry," she apologized. "I just wanted...to reprimand that child for what he had done."

Gaara groaned in distaste, even pouting some.

"I don't like it when you leave me behind," he mumbled, casting his eyes away from Sakura then.

Sakura lowered her hand then, watching the boy quietly as she tried to think of what she could say.

"If you had let me come, I could have helped," Gaara suddenly said, and turned a grin in Sakura's direction.

Some of his sand suddenly poured from his gourd and swam around both their feet, and the message became the more clear as she realized how mad looking his grin suddenly looked. Those words and look made Sakura wonder where that sweet, little child had suddenly gone to.

"Don't say that," Sakura chastened him with a frown.

Gaara's eyes had widened some to her words, almost as if she had woken him up from some dream. As she stepped back, away from his grains, was when Gaara quickly called back his sand. After that, he slowly walked to face her, and looked up at her as their eyes locked. He only pressed forward when Sakura opened an arm to him, beckoning him for an embrace.

"You still have dark thoughts?" she asked him, a little wary of what Gaara had been keeping from her.

"...Always," he whispered into her.

Yet, he remembered what she expected of him, what she taught him, how he would better himself. After all, he was still in his early stages of reform.

"I'll keep my promise," he told her, trying to ease her mind. "I won't go back on it."

Despite his words, Sakura narrowed her eyes. Maybe she was blind to see how hard this had all been for Gaara. Was he inwardly struggling more than he was outwardly showing?

"I know, Gaara," she told him while stroking his hair. "It will get easier for you, I promise."

The boy smiled as he leaned in all the more into Sakura. He believed her, after all, the path she tried to show him when she first arrived, the one he scoffed and sneered at, was coming more and more into fruition with time.

Eventually Sakura stepped back, and smiled down at the boy.

"Let's go," she said with a grin. "Got to do as much as we can, right?"

She didn't wait for his reply, or try to read his blank expression. She instead turned to lead the way, but it would be only a few steps she took before he raced suddenly to catch her by the hem of her shirt.

"Gaara?" Sakura asked, blinking in wonder as the boy suddenly kept his face down from her. "What's wrong?"

Still nothing from the boy, and Sakura slowly turned to face him; breaking his hold on her. Still with his head down, Sakura's eyes widened when she saw his hands suddenly tremble slightly. Even more surprising, as she watched him quietly, were the small tears that now suddenly fell from him to the ground.

"Gaara?!" Sakura suddenly called, falling to his level and reaching for him. "Why are you-?"

She had wanted to ask why he cried, where the sadness had stemmed from this time. Yet, as she reached for him, Gaara took a step away from her.

"Wait," he told her, shaking his head. "I-I-I…."

Sakura pursed her lips, watching Gaara try to hold back his tears to speak, but also swimming his eyes away from Sakura's concerned own.

"I know there's something wrong with me," he suddenly told her.

Sakura opened her mouth to protest, but as Gaara recognized this act, he spoke to beat her words.

"I know I probably won't make a lot of friends like you say, and there will always be people who hate me. Before you came, I didn't want anything to do with anyone anymore. I just wanted to be left alone. I didn't want anyone to hurt me again."

"Gaara..." Sakura whispered, unsure where all this sadness and doubt had come from.

"But...but...but!" Gaara again tried to speak, his tears making him choke still.

She watched as he rubbed the mark on his head suddenly, an act that calmed his tears some.

"But now I take it all back," he told her. "I don't want to be alone ever again! I want to be the person you see in me."

At that moment, Sakura finally understood where Gaara's tears and words were heading to, and she smiled big.

"It's alright," she told him. "You don't have to say it. I knew you felt this way a long time ago."

She reached for him, but Gaara took a step back in protest. He shook his head at her.

"I know you knew," he told her. "Because you're amazing like that. You're so amazing to me, Sakura."

Despite his tears still, he managed a grin, not at all minding if his stray tears washed into his mouth.

"I'll keep my promise," he told her then. "No matter what, I'll do whatever I need to do to keep making you smile at me! I'll do anything you ask of me, because you do so much for me now. The people who smile at me now wouldn't have if it weren't for you!"

He fists clenched tighter then.

"If it weren't for you, there's no way I'd be happy now," he finished.

At that moment, Sakura smiled again. In the back of her mind, she knew those words were not true, for the Gaara of her time had accomplished so, so much without her. Yet, she understood what it was the boy was wanting to tell her, and if there was a moment Sakura was glad she didn't run away when she had first gotten to Suna, or when she thought how pointless it was to alter Gaara's past a little, now would definitely be that time. She had made a child smile who, without her, would take years for that to happen. She reminded a boy of the emotions still inside him before he could numb himself completely from the pain. She reminded him of…

Gaara rubbed the mark on his head again.

This time, as Sakura reached for him, he did not pull away. Instead, he spoke as she dragged him in for a hug.

"You're so kind," he told her as she pulled on his arm. "You're so bright, like a light. You're always smiling at me. You're always talking to me. You're always protecting me. You're always making sure I'm alright."

He said nothing more as Sakura wrapped her arms around him, and as Gaara finally snaked his arms around Sakura's neck, pulling her closer in to him, he finally said what he had been wanting to say this whole time.

"Thank you, Sakura," he whispered. "For everything."


	37. Chapter 37

They spent their remaining days in stores, at restaurants, and Sakura even took Gaara around the whole town to sight see monuments and a few historical spots. In his short time in Konoha, Gaara would learn their history better than his home. A good half of one day she even convinced the boy to come to the library with her. He agreed, quietly looking at the pictures that were drawn in the book he had nabbed as Sakura scoured for information about time manipulating powers. She was able to find info of people with the power to freeze objects, and people, for short amounts of time, but no mention was ever written about her drastic scenario. It made the young woman wonder again if this world manifested itself around her. Like her parent's dead in this time, or no other existence of her, she wondered if time contort certain information from her to keep her from finding a solution.

' _Could that mean there is no scroll?_ ' she thought.

Or was it that this was all just a first. Maybe, she would be the first returning home and recording this information, or was it possible, upon her return, this past was erased from her mind.

To that thought, Sakura blinked and raised her eyes from the book to watch her small friend smile fondly at the pictures under him. It took him a moment to realize, but his eyes found her once he sensed she was staring at him. He showed her his huge grin, silently telling her he was enjoying the moment, before turning back to the book under him.

' _Gaara,_ ' Sakura thought with her own smile set on him. ' _There's no way in hell I'd ever forget about you, or these precious moments._ '

After that thought, Sakura sighed and shut her book. Truth be told, she could spend countless days in Konoha's library, but to confine the boy to this building when today was their last day would be heartless on her part. Not to mention, she imagined something as detailed as what she was looking for was probably stored away in the more private library available to only the shinobi of this land.

' _If the scroll is a dead end, I'll search harder,_ ' she told herself.

After all, there was already plans of her return here with Gaara in the spring, and hopefully with his siblings too. If here would give her no answers than maybe she would venture farther out, to a different country. Despite the reason behind it, Sakura couldn't help but smile at the thought of traveling around the world with Gaara in tow to see the beauty of it all.

As she continued to stare at Gaara, however, the boy reminded her then what it is was he wanted through this trip. While she was after a scroll, Gaara was after something just as meaningful in his mind.

"When are we going to see the cherry blossom?" he asked her suddenly, eyes not tearing away from the book.

Sakura frowned then, and sighed as she rested her head against her hand. The snow had melted away the day before and the sun rose high and warmth had blossomed with the warmth coming forth. Yet, some cold still lingered with a threat of snow, and it kept every living thing still hurdled away, including the blossoms they sought. Still, it was a promise she intended to keep, and she simply shook her head.

"Soon," she told him.

Her answer brought his eyes up, and he stared at her apathetically before speaking,

"We're leaving tomorrow."

Sakura closed her eyes, resting her head still despite Gaara's tone.

"Don't you worry," she told him. "I'll keep my promise."

Gaara made a noise, and Sakura assumed it to be his way of acknowledging what she told him, before he went down to reading his book as Sakura opened her eyes to stare at him. She blinked a few times, watching passively as Gaara flipped from page to page.

' _I won't go back on my promise,_ ' she thought. ' _I absolutely won't._ '

* * *

The rest of the day was eventful in the simplistic of ways. She let Gaara venture a little more deeper into Konoha's woods, and he explored every green tree with a grin. He did not want to visit any more stores, nor monuments, but was allowed to pick his favorite restaurant he had visited so far. As they ate grilled meat together, Gaara had remembered one place he had yet to visit.

"You said we were going to the baths," he pouted at Sakura.

Even though the woman had forgotten that offer, she smiled to Gaara's pout.

"And we are," she told him. "Right after this."

Though, as she paid a hefty amount for the popular bathhouse, she secretly wished the boy had forgotten. When looking back down at Gaara's smile, deep down the young woman knew no price was too much to keep Gaara happy and smiling.

As they undressed for the giant, hot pool, Sakura couldn't suddenly place why she felt self-conscious to the little boy. Perhaps it was because her mind kept falling back to the older man she knew him to be, after all, if not for his young age now Gaara wouldn't be allowed on the women's side of the bath. Maybe if was because Sakura was more private and personal than others. Though she had no body to be ashamed of, she flaunted none of her features as it was another unintended resolve that stemmed from saving herself for Sasuke. That, or it was Gaara's sudden, bold comments that made her feel awkward.

"Everyone's naked!" he boomed loudly inside the changing room, suddenly pulling forth an aberrant manner. "And nobody cares!"

Sakura quickly covered his mouth then, approaching him from behind so as not to let his eyes fall on her naked form.

"Hush, you're being loud!" she whispered fiercely at him. "Don't go yelling things like that in here."

Gaara nodded against her hand, and Sakura slipped her palm away from his mouth. Yet, as she saw his head suddenly turning up to look into her eyes, Sakura gripped his shoulders tight and led him towards the bath. She still couldn't bring herself to let him see her.

Staring at the steaming, hot bath, Gaara made a loud cry of amusement.

"It's so big," he exclaimed. "Everyone takes a bath together?"

He asked this before Sakura began to rinse him off with the shower wand.

"I guess you've never been to one, have you?" she asked.

Somewhere, in the back of her mind, she assumed Yashamaru had taken the liberty of bringing Gaara to a bath house, but Gaara answered her before she even remembered what sort of past the boy had.

"I was never allowed," he mumbled, watching the water that fell from him twirl away into the drain.

Sakura was quiet for the moment, they both were, and it surprised her to remember that through all this happy time spent together with Gaara there indeed had been more troubling times in the past.

"This won't be your last time, I promise you that," Sakura whispered to him, making the boy smile as he continued to watch the water drain under him.

After their rinse, everything happened in a flash. Sakura literally had to twirl Gaara, by his shoulders, just to make sure his eyes would never meet her naked form before she sunk her entire frame into the hot, cloudy water. She sighed in contentment at the feel of the mineral water, and was glad to see her body finally hidden. She rested her head against the side of the bath, watching with an amused smirk as Gaara tested the water first with a toe. As excited as he was for this new experience, he grimaced at the feel of the water's temperature and turned to look at Sakura, confused that she found this relaxing.

"If it's too hot, just soak your feet in it," she told him. "Your body will heat up and get use to it."

He did like she suggested, but still sneered at the sensation. For the longest time, he was quiet while he stared at his feet submerged in the murky water. Silence followed even longer as there was so little of people, and the bath was big enough to hide their quiet chatter. Sakura, too, felt no urge to speak as she instead let the warmth envelop her and soothe her to an almost sleeping state.

"This is boring," Gaara sighed, breaking Sakura's serene mood.

Sakura opened her eyes to glare at the little boy, but couldn't help herself from smiling to his little pout. She even giggled some before speaking.

"You're the one who wanted to do this."

"I thought it be more exciting..."

To that comment, Sakura flicked a little water onto Gaara's face. The boy shook his head to the wet, hot sensation before mischievously grinning back at Sakura. It didn't take the young woman long to realize what kind of mishap Gaara was preparing for as he cupped some water into the palm of his hands.

"No, no," she quickly told him, regretting her previous action. "We can't play like that in here."

Gaara raised his brow bone in question.

"Why not?" he asked.

Sakura rested her head back against the side, and she let out a small sigh before closing her eyes.

"You can't play or be loud here," she told him. "This is for relaxing. You don't want to upset other people."

To her words, Gaara stared at the warm water that swayed still in his cupped hands. He didn't reply, and Sakura assumed the sweet boy to follow her guidance like he always did. This time instead, her eyes shot open the moment she felt Gaara pour the water from his hands onto her head. He did his best to stifle his snickering as soon as Sakura glared at him.

"I was trying to make your pink hair come back," he said through his stifled laughter.

Yet, the boy cried out, earning everyone's attention then, once Sakura grabbed him by the leg and yanked him into the hot water. There was no etiquette in her loud laugh while she watched Gaara gasp loudly the moment his head popped back up from under the water; and there was definitely not an ounce of courtesy within the boy's voice as he yelled at Sakura while struggling to climb out of the water like a skittish cat thrown into a tub of water.

"You're stupid, Sakura! Stupid just like that black hair!" he screamed, struggling and slipping to get out all the while.

It only made Sakura's laugh grow louder.

"It isn't funny!" he cried. "This water is too hot!"

It would be a small slap on his bare bottom that finally gave Gaara the push to scramble himself out of the bath. Not enough to cause pain, but just enough to make Gaara go red and cradle where Sakura smacked him, that the woman boomed with laughter once more as Gaara remained silent to the humiliating act.

"Sit down, Gaara," she eventually managed to say through her laughing. "Otherwise I'm going to tell Kankuro how everyone here saw you naked."

Sure enough, as Gaara glanced around the bath, their little show was being watched by all, and the boy managed to turn an even darker shade of red as he realized the women were all snickering. He quickly shot back down to sit, glaring at Sakura then.

"Stupid," he whispered in her direction still. "You're stupid!"

Sakura swam herself closer to him then, smiling softly when he turned his face away from her in anger.

"Aw, don't be mad," she told him, relaxing her head back down on the edge. "I was only playing with you, Gaara."

Yet, the boy remained unmoved, and continued to glare past her with a voice left unspoken.

"Please, Gaara," Sakura began again, poking him lightly in his cheek. "We're best friends, you can't stay mad at me."

To her touch the boy continued to sit like a statue, but he did finally speak.

"I'm not mad," he finally confessed. "I'll just remember this, and I'll get you back...one day."

Sakura's eyed widened to Gaara's foreboding promise. When had her little, quiet friend become so mischievous, she wondered. Yet, as she saw him finally turn and give her a smirk, she knew then that whatever would come from him would be as harmless as what she had done now. His playful side was rare for to see, that she couldn't help but return the smile and be so thrilled to see this carefree side of him she was sure he would have cast away without her interference in his young life. Not to mention, she was certain his older self had given up jokes like this, and as she remembered that thought, she couldn't help her smile falling to a sad frown. It didn't go unnoticed by the little boy either.

"Y-You started it!" he told her, trying to justify in his heart his rights lest her sad frown make him consider otherwise.

Sakura forced a smile then, and shook her head at the boy.

"Don't mind me," she told him. "I was just thinking how sad it would be if you outgrew all of this."

To her words, Gaara tilted his head while watching her still. In a sense, he understood the plight she was telling him, he had a sense that time changed people, yet his young, naive mind cemented his thoughts that time could not change their happy interactions like this one.

"I won't," he told her with a grin. "I promise."

In her mind, as she fell back to the quiet, collected Gaara of her own time, Sakura was certain that was a promise Gaara couldn't keep.

' _Enjoy it while you can,_ ' her mind told her now.

Even if the smile was again a mock, it was good enough for Gaara to buy it.

"Then I think we'll be the best of friends...always," Sakura said.

Gaara grinned then, agreeing with this happy woman.

"Always," he repeated.

They fell silent again after that. Sakura laid her head back down, watching Gaara with relaxed eyes threatening to fall completely. Meanwhile, the boy, stared at his feet in the water. He glanced in every direction a sound was made, watching the other women and children murmur, or cough, or simply get out of the bath themselves. He was attentive of his surroundings, but not out of fear or worry, but because this circumstance was a first for him, and he absorbed as much of it as he could while also trying to understand the excitement in this act Sakura had painted for him days before while mentioning her own mother took her here once.

' _Cute kid,_ ' Sakura thought, still watching him silently. ' _His innocence really shows in situations like this. He really doesn't understand how the world functions around him, but he is so invested in trying to learn. He wants to be as normal as any other boy_ _his_ _age._ '

She continued to smile as she watched Gaara suddenly settle his small hands against his chest.

' _You'll be a great man one day, Gaara,_ ' Sakura thought with her smile still.

Yet, her eye twitched the moment she saw him begin cupping his chest. He flexed his fingers in the air just above his skin, and Sakura's jaw dropped at the act when she saw his eyes were settled on some naked women walking back to the changing room.

' _Innocent my ass!_ ' she suddenly thought. ' _He is just like any other boy!_ '

Sakura's eyes narrowed before she called for his attention.

"Gaara!" she whispered fiercely. "What are you doing?!"

His stoic gaze returned to Sakura then, yet he continued to flex his fingers in the air.

"What?" he asked innocently.

Sakura reached for his hands then, lowering them before anyone caught sight of his embarrassing display.

"Don't do that," Sakura told him. "Only perverts do something like that."

To that, the boy chuckled before kicking up some water.

"Sakura?" he suddenly asked. "Are you a boy?"

The young woman stared at the boy a little bewildered. Had it not been obvious this whole time? She was sure she had made mention of it at some point, and yet, Gaara cleared her curiosity with his next words.

"You don't have boobs like other girls. Your chest is just like mine."

Sakura's eyes widened then, his words echoing in her ears still.

" _...just like mine._ "

' _He's comparing my breasts to a small boy's chest._ '

Her head hung low then.

"Gaara," Sakura murmured. "That was probably the most cruel thing I've heard from you."

To that statement, Gaara tilted his head some.

"Worse than the times I said I would kill you?" he asked.

For a moment, Sakura was quiet, but eventually picked her head back up to show off what pride she had left to muster.

"Far worse," she told him while reminding herself in her mind that her body was built for fighting, and that Gaara was just young-minded.

Gaara laughed a little again before the pair fell silent. Past the steam, his young eyes traveled up towards the sky, and searched for those bright stars he was accustom to seeing back home. Yet, from Konoha's many lights, and dark clouds, the stars glow could not breakthrough, and as happy as this boy became of this village, wishing him and Sakura to stay together forever here, he was saddened by the skies lackluster display.

"The sky doesn't smile here," Gaara whispered.

Sakura looked at Gaara and turned her head once she noticed he was staring towards the sky.

"It does," Sakura reassured him.

Her mind settled suddenly to the familiar story Sakura had told Gaara, and she smiled thinking how long it had been since she had told them the tale of a smiling sky. It was also a reminder how far her and Gaara had come. At that time, he had called her pointless and had barely been convinced to come along with her to get kakigori. Never would she have imagined that night leading up to this day, and never again did she think to past by a kakigori stand without her thoughts falling to Gaara's smiling image begging her for the sweet treat.

"You're happy, Sakura."

Her stare must have been distant, but her smile must have grown enough for the boy to take notice. He simply stated what he noticed with curious eyes set on her.

"Yea," Sakura whispered before her eyes, and smile, met Gaara. "I am."

He tilted his head.

"How come?"

She sighed before resting her arms next to Gaara and dipped herself deeper into the pool.

"I'm remembering some times that make me happy," she murmured.

"Oh?" Gaara piqued. "Like what?"

Sakura smirked.

"Like the time I told you you wouldn't hold a prettier girl's hand than mine. I don't think I've seen you turn so red."

To the embarrassing thought, Gaara pouted lightly which made Sakura snicker.

"You know what else makes me happy?" Sakura asked him, hoping for his smile to return.

Gaara locked eyes with Sakura then.

"What?" he asked, genuinely curious.

"It makes me happy remembering that very same day, you listened to my whispers instead of everyone else. It felt like...after that, we were able to talk a little more."

Gaara's eyes widened, surprised Sakura delved so far back into their past relationship. The present always seemed like such a happier place the longer time went on, that it hadn't struck Gaara entirely to fall back on the harder moments Sakura and him shared. In his own mind, he recollected the time his father first brought Sakura to his room. The anger, the hurt, the confusion he felt that moment staring at Sakura then as she fell to the floor in tears felt so entirely opposite of feelings he now had towards her. Like her, if he took the time to recollect their past and compare it today, Gaara found that finding a smile now was much more easier than it had been in the past. For him, that only meant the bright future she always claimed for him came to fruition more and more with each passing day.

"Though it was awkward, it still makes me laugh when I remember the way you scared Baki and Annaisha, and it makes me happy that you were curious of their love, and asked me why they kissed. Do you understand what I was telling you then?"

She turned to look at Gaara, whose mind went back to that day. Not really, he had wanted to tell her. He knew love through the definition a little more better now, sure. He knew of the caring love through his siblings, and that concerned love that came with friends. But had yet to experience the unconditional love you earned from one other partner. The kind that led to nurturing, and kissing, and devotion, and sometimes even marriage. Never experiencing what Annaisha or Baki shared, and still doubtful his future self would, his answer was a shrug and apologetic smile towards Sakura.

"A little," he whispered.

Sakura, too, it seemed understood that his young mind was still too innocent for that sort of love, so she instead nodded at him not to feel bad that he couldn't comprehend.

"You'll understand one day," she told him. "Maybe when you're about my age."

Gaara returned her nod, not at all deterred that his young mind could not perceive such a thing yet. Instead, he watched as Sakura recollected more memories to smile about.

"Though I won't do it again, I do think it was a little fun that one day we broke your toys."

Hearing Sakura say that, Gaara grinned before his eyes whipped around him. Though pointless since no one was near, he tried to repress a chuckle before leaning in towards Sakura to hear his whisper.

"I really like doing that with you. It was really fun!"

Though she rolled her eyes, Sakura still smiled as Gaara continued to chortle at the memory. He may be coming to peace now with himself, but Sakura still saw the little boy still in awe at everything that was chaos and destruction. Maybe it was just a boy thing, Sakura assumed.

"...but, I think I liked the hug you gave me more. That was the first time someone else, besides Yashamaru, had ever hugged me."

Sakura smile big upon hearing that.

"Me too," Sakura explained. "I like hugging you more than breaking your toys. And I was so proud of you that day for thanking Tsutomu-san, I think he was too! It was like you made a whole new friend."

Gaara's eyes widened to the mention of the old man.

"Ah!" Gaara exclaimed as he remembered. "I should bring Tsutomu-san something from here."

"That's very sweet of you, Gaara," Sakura smiled. "We'll stop at a store before we leave and pick something out for him."

They shared another smile, both of them falling back to the idea of Tsutomu. Yet, as if the two of them remained link in thought, both Gaara and Sakura suddenly frowned. For while the mention of Tsutomu as a friend came to mind, the only other kind adult towards Gaara besides Sakura, their minds settled back to the brunette girl who, once, offered Gaara that same smile. As silence settled between them, Sakura looked back at Gaara and studied his frown for only a second before she came to the conclusion that Annaisha was now on his mind as well.

"Do you want to talk about her?" Sakura asked.

Gaara brought his eyes back up to Sakura then. He took her question into careful consideration before shaking his head.

"No," he practically hissed.

The enmity was still strong in the little boy for the young girl who had hurt him so. Sakura could understand why, but couldn't bring herself to believe Annaisha truly hated the boy in return like Gaara did her. She had disdained Sakura's reasoning, yes, but in the end, she did allow precious moments and teachings to occur between her and Gaara. Like Rasa, Annaisha's actions contradicted _some_ of her words.

"I don't think she hated you, Gaara," Sakura whispered, testing the waters somewhat.

What she got was piercing eyes settled in her direction, and boiling anger she knew to now be brewing within Gaara's small self. I don't believe you, he was silently telling Sakura, and with just the tiniest sprinkle of, and I _never_ will. Instead of heeding his warning, Sakura's heart made her press forward.

"She smiled at you," Sakura began, hoping he could see the beauty of Annaisha's actions before the attack. "She taught you how to make cookies."

Gaara sneered, and with his next words, Sakura knew the boy wanted to waste no more breath on the brunette.

"She tried to kill me."

Silence followed again, and Gaara kept his angry gaze set on Sakura for some time before he drew them back away towards the water.

"That's true..." Sakura murmured after some time in thought. "In a way, though, I think she also brought you and I closer together."

Her smile was sympathetic as Gaara whipped his round eyes back towards Sakura in shock. While the evidence was clear as much to him as it was to Sakura, he still shook his head.

"No, she did not," he refused.

"You didn't kill me along with her, even when I hurt you as well," Sakura said, making Gaara's eyes grow as he frantically shook his head.

For him, he didn't want to believe Annaisha, who represented so many of the others who hated him, had helped the bond him and Sakura now shared. Gaara was still too young to realize that through hate and turmoil could also a blessing, or a lesson, be buried within that despair. As he aged, he would see that all the hate he received at a young age would eventually lead to the empathetic man he would become. In a way, Gaara wouldn't be the great leader Sakura knew him to be without the animosity he earned at such a young age. It was a cruel thought, Sakura could definitely agree about, but the bright future that came with it could possibly give hope to even the most broken of people.

' _Like Naruto had with Gaara,_ ' Sakura thought with a smile.

Sakura brought her warm hand up to cradle Gaara's cheek, and her touch was enough to ease the boy then into revealing something deep.

"Back then, I didn't want you to leave me too," he confessed.

"I'm not like them," Sakura whispered. "I'll never be like them. I'll always be your friend, no matter what."

Gaara smiled with appreciation, leaning more into her hand. With time though, Sakura brushed her damp hands and tickled Gaara on the cheek, making the boy pull back with a grin and chuckle. She couldn't help but grin herself when she noticed his missing tooth.

' _I'm surprised he hasn't lost anymore,_ ' she thought.

To his smile as well, she was glad to see more of it now than the sad, cold child who played with blood to ease his mind and heart. Her thoughts were forgotten once she felt a hot splash of water hit her face. Gaara smiled when her eyes met his, and she was glad to see the anger from speaking about Annaisha vanish as he instead took a playful approach.

"You have to be there to keep holding my hand," he told Sakura then.

Yet, despite his words, Sakura hummed in thought which made the boy suddenly worry about her answer.

"Do I?" Sakura asked. "If you let her, Temari would do the same. Chiyo-baasama might even as well, she did hug you after all."

Despite this, the boy continued to pout. Her answers weren't the one he was looking for.

"Maybe, when you are both older, Matsuri might as well," Sakura smirked.

She earned another splash then, and as the water fell from her face, Sakura could see Gaara had turned a shade darker, and she was sure the cause of it wasn't from the bath's heat. Sakura laughed as Gaara yelled,

"If you don't want to hold my hand anymore you should just say so!"

Sakura shook her head, laughing still.

"No," she tried to speak. "No, that's not it at all. Of course I still want to hold your hand."

Gaara continued to pout, eyes turning towards the side as he tried to calm his nerves.

"All I'm saying is, now, instead of me, you have your brother, sister, friends, to do that with now. Isn't it a great thought knowing there's so many other people in your life now?"

Despite her underlying message, Gaara's stubborn, spoiled self failed to see what Sakura was trying to say.

"You can't stop now," he mumbled at Sakura, making the young woman roll her eyes.

"Gaara, don't you see what I'm saying?" Sakura spoke.

This time, the boy opened his mind a little bit more, and looked at Sakura while she spoke.

"Isn't it wonderful to know that your siblings recognize you now? That Matsuri, Tsutomu-san, Baki-san and Chiyo-baasama all stop and take a moment to speak to you? You're no longer lonely."

Gaara's eyes fell to the ground, and they scanned the water while taking in Sakura's words.

"The future I told you, it's coming into fruition. Though I've seen you kill, Gaara, you saving a life speaks more to me, for I know that's the kind soul you have in you. I'm certain at this point you can overcome your pain, and Shukaku," Sakura finished.

Gaara's eyes widened then, surprised as to what he was hearing, and how truthful all of what Sakura was saying felt.

"Don't ever forget, too, even if you can't see her. You have your mother, her love, and her song. You always will," Sakura finished.

She hoped Gaara would understand the message of her last words then, for that even if he couldn't see her that Karura's love would always be there. After all, it would be the same impression Sakura hoped to leave behind for the boy as well.

Eventually, Gaara's round eyes settled, and he grinned once more, his eyes somewhat dewy to her words. He nodded at her, agreeing with all she had said.

"Thank you, Sakura," he whispered.

She watched Gaara begin to wipe his eyes vigorously, probably trying to dry them before the tears even broke. She hopped out of the bath then, no longer caring if Gaara saw her naked form now, and sat next to him before pulling him in for a side hug.

"Don't cry, Gaara," Sakura told him. "You should be happy thinking back to all you've accomplished."

Gaara sniffled.

"I feel like crying," he told her. "But I'm not sad. These are...are..."

' _Happy tears,_ ' Sakura thought with a smile.

Sakura embraced him a little more closer then.

"It's alright to let those out," Sakura told him.

He said nothing, but simply nodded his head against her, still trying his best to brush them away.

"Make it quick though!" she told him suddenly. "There's one last stop I want to take you tonight."


	38. Chapter 38

" _I think_ _I've_ _forgotten_ _._ "

…

" _Again._ "

…

" _The more I_ _think_ _, the more it becomes unclear._ "

…

" _I don't remember what is right._ "

…

" _And I don't remember what is wrong._ "

…

" _Save me._ "

…

" _Remind me why love is beautiful."_

…

" _Where have your whispers gone?_ "

* * *

Sakura was thankful that they had spent most of the night within the hot bath. Their bodies remained warm, and it helped the little boy to keep pressing forward despite the cold wind, and freezing snow, that billowed onto the two now.

"This way!" Sakura called towards Gaara, leading him deeper and deeper towards an area of the village they had yet to visit.

If she thought hard about it now, it was probably fortunate on their part that the strong, blowing storm had began, for it kept the streets clear and wandering eyes indoors. As Sakura dragged Gaara through the shadows, he eventually realized the secrecy of their destination.

"Where are we going?" he asked.

Through the winds, she heard the boy's question, and tried to smile down towards him in hopes that he could see her reassuring smile through the dark.

"You'll see once we get there," she told him.

Even if the wind howled, even if the air was freezing, even if all her logical senses were telling her it was a lost cause, she pressed on remembering the beauty she had seen before in this area. As they came to a small district, Gaara had stopped to look at Sakura when he noticed the blockade and signs that warned others not to go forward.

"Don't worry," Sakura said, passing through the tape and signs. "We'll be alright."

It wasn't that the boy was worried, instead he was curious what lingered in the houses ahead of them.

"Why isn't anyone allowed in here?" he asked, glancing all around him.

To his question, Sakura sighed. The massacre that had happened here hadn't been that long ago, and a part of her mind played at the possibilities of if she had just run from Suna and come here instead. Instead of lingering on the thoughts, she stopped short as she suddenly caught sight of the giant tree far ahead of them. She squinted her eyes hard towards it.

' _Please,_ ' she thought. ' _Please, if there is some higher power controlling this world, out of everything, please just let me be able to keep my promise to Gaara._ '

She had brought him to one of the biggest cherry blossom tree's that grew within the village, and it was situated proudly in the middle of the Uchiha district. She remembered when her class took a trip here, just to watch the tree bloom pink. It was her first, and last, time her eyes ever laid on the spectacle. The massacre happened not too long after their small trip, and eventually the tree would be destroyed with time.

Through the wind and snow Sakura kept on staring hard, praying still that the past warm days had somehow tricked the buds into blooming.

"Sakura, what are we doing here?" Gaara asked again, looking up towards her.

The wind suddenly cast harder in their direction, making Gaara wince and seek shelter behind the woman's frame while Sakura squinted her eyes. Yet, as something pink suddenly flew past her head, her eyes widened and she stared past the snow towards the tall, pink tree.

"Cherry blossom," she whispered, her smile growing into a grin before she laughed.

Immediately she reached down for the boy and dragged him in the direction of the tree.

"Sakura!" Gaara cried, protesting as the snow and wind hit him dead on.

She paid him no heed, but eventually stopped once she felt his feet stop as a dead weight. Without even looking at him, she knew his eyes had found the tree, and he stopped while gawking at the tall spectacle. To this, Sakura let go of his hand and instead skipped her way in front of Gaara with the tree behind her. She smiled proudly.

"I told you I'd keep my promise," she laughed.

She earned his round eyes then, the boy still in awe to say anything. He instead watched as Sakura turned to face the tree, her arms widening in the air.

"This!" she told him. " _This_ is a cherry blossom tree."

Gaara looked up then, still in wonder, and stared at the many petals that were fluttering past him. Though the wind pressed on, and some petals were hard to distinguish with the white of snow, there were so many flowers that the branches were still far from becoming bare.

Sakura smiled as she watched the boy stare above him, and slowly he circled in his spot, round and round, under the tree.

"The flowers will probably freeze or blow away by morning," Sakura commented as she came next to Gaara.

Her eyes looked up along with him before his voice stole her attention back.

"Wow..." he whispered.

It was like he was in a trance now staring up at the many petals falling and blowing past him, and Sakura couldn't help but chuckle at the sight. It always warmed her heart to see the boy experience just a little more wonderment in his life.

' _They certainly can't grow them like this in Suna,_ ' she thought with a smile.

She could only imagine how much more magical it be for him once she brought him back in the spring when the village was covered in pink petals. Then again, she thought to herself, there was something very beautiful and magical in this moment. A lone, pink tree, who defied winter, and let its blossoms flourish for the moment. The way the petals blew with the white of the snow was also an alluring scene of its own, and something Sakura was sure only her, and Gaara, could brag to seeing for the rest of their life.

Looking back at Gaara, Sakura smiled once more at his transfixed state, and let the boy be for some time. For her, she stared up at the tree as well, but took slow steps around the thick bark.

"Maybe you'll survive in this world," Sakura whispered to it, planting her hand gently against the cold wood.

After all, if she remembered correctly, it was the attack during her first chūnin exams that had destroyed this tree. Maybe, if it left such an impact on Gaara as it seemingly looked now, the boy would do what he could to protect it. Yet, despite the warm thought, Sakura found it foolish as well.

' _Ninja protect lives and goods,_ ' she remembered. ' _Not trees._ '

She sighed then, taking a step back away from the tall tree and brought her eyes back up to stare at the flying petals. Her eyesight caught sight of the pink mixing in with the white easily, some distance away, she could even see Gaara's red hair swaying with the wind as he stood frozen in his spot still. Yet, Sakura did have to blink a few times to realize that her eyesight was also trying to focus on the blue tint of hair that stood a few feet away from her other side. Her eyes quickly fell to another being, and her gaze went round as she recognized this new child staring up at the tree.

"Sasuke...kun..." she whispered for her ears only.

Like Gaara to the other side of her, Sasuke stood under the tree, captivated by the pink petals above him. However, as Sakura's surprised stare lingered on him, so, too, did the boy suddenly realize he was not alone. Like her, Sasuke's eyes widened briefly catching sight of her, and his stare was long as she remained quiet and lost of words. Perhaps his surprise came with expecting that he was alone now since this area of the village was off limits. With time, though, the boy blinked away his analytical gaze, and fidgeted his jacket closer to his body before spinning on his heel and facing his back towards the young woman. His steps were set to leave, and the sight made Sakura's heart race. Despite his young appearance, her view was still that of his older self casting her and the village away with his back turned to forever leave.

"Wait!" Sakura called out to him, her arm reaching in his direction.

Sasuke stopped in his tracks then, but kept his back turn still to Sakura. Meanwhile, the young woman's mind raced as to why she called out to him. What was it she hoped to gain, her mind asked her. This was not her world, her meddling should not have gone as far as it had, and there was so little she could say to this boy that wouldn't show off the knowledge of the future Sakura had gained. Not to mention, she was nobody to him, a stranger, and as Sakura knew Sasuke, this was probably the reason he wouldn't even give her the decency of turning to look at her. Like Naruto, she acted out before she realized there was so little she could say to the boy.

Yet, her heart now was pleading with her. If possible, if this world would let her, not only did she want Gaara to have a happier childhood, but so, too, the little boy in front of her who probably was ever so lonely now like Gaara had been.

"I know it feels like you don't have many options right now," Sakura suddenly whispered.

As expected, the boy finally turned to face Sakura after her odd words. Yet, despite a curious gaze, she was met with a stone, cold look. He probably was expecting sympathy on her part. By now he was use to so many people pulling him in for an apology over what had happened to his family. His entire clan. Yet, their sympathy went on deaf ears as the boy was beginning to brew something deep inside of him that would eventually lead up to his lifelong goal of killing his brother. Sakura knew this as well, and tried hard to find what it was in her heart she wanted to convey to this little boy.

Don't seek revenge. Don't leave the village. Don't push away those that love you. Don't turn your back on your friends. The actual truth. All of these raced through her mind, yet she could only stay silent as she shook her head at the boy in silence. As strong as she was, as happy as she knew Sasuke's future was now, her tears still welled up in the corner of her eyes. This boy was the cause of so much pain in her youth, yet her love for him was also the biggest drive that made her the strong ninja she was today.

"Just remember, your friends care and love you. Friends can be family too, and they will always cherish you," Sakura murmured.

This time, she got a reaction. Sasuke's eyes widened some, and his mouth was now agape from Sakura's words. In that moment, Sakura's heart ached, for, despite the sympathy he was given, it seemed people had forgotten to remind him that he had friends to lean on. Even if he was a loner now, she hoped her words would ring in his mind once he realized how much he leaned on Naruto. She was certain his path for revenge would come into fruition no matter anyone say, but she hoped her words would help guide him back home.

"We all care about you, Sasuke-kun. **Please** , don't ever forget that," Sakura swallowed hard, forcing a smile despite her small tears. "Especially me. No matter what you choose, what you do, I will _always_ love you."

Sakura could only read his reaction for a brief second. In the next, grains of sand suddenly flew past her, and they raced at Sasuke at such a speed and force that it knocked the small boy instantly down once it collided with his face. Like a punch, Sasuke skidded on the wet ground some before he scrambled to sit up and stare at the culprit.

Sakura, too, had whipped her head back to catch sight of the other little boy behind her. A small gasp left her as she recognized Gaara's menacing eyes. She had thought he to cast them long ago, but if his look now was any given, it was that Gaara wanted nothing more than at the moment than to destroy Sasuke. While she wanted to believe the culprit behind this attack was suddenly Shukaku's dark whispers breaking through to Gaara, Sakura could tell in the redhead's eyes that it wasn't a thirst for blood he sought, but instead a need to end a life purely because of the hate he held for Sasuke now.

There was hate in Gaara's eyes, and Sakura hadn't the faintest clue what had triggered it.

"Gaara!" Sakura called.

Yet, his attention did not waver. Like mechanical, Gaara took a steady step forward and raised his hand to call out his grains once more. His fingers fidgeted in Sasuke's direction, and a whisper began to escape Gaara's lips.

However, Sakura would not let him finish his attack. She raced towards Gaara in a speedy haste, and swept the boy quickly into her arms. There was no time to ask him what he was thinking, no time to check to make sure Sasuke had no injuries. The only time Sakura had was to look back at Sasuke as he watched her carry Gaara away.

"Sorry!" she called to Sasuke.

She glanced one last time at the cherry blossom tree before cursing and rushing back to their room. She was quick, trying to separate herself and get as far away from Sasuke then. She worried of the men who may, or may not, be tailing the last surviving Uchiha on behalf of their Hokage's request. She worried Gaara had jeopardized everything she promised Rasa would _not_ happen. She worried Konoha would retaliate in some way, blaming Gaara that he was set to kill their last Uchiha survivor. Of all the people and places, Sakura thought. Why here, she wondered. Why now, she worried.

' _Why Gaara?_ ' she asked herself.

She looked back down at the boy in her arms. Instead of looking at her, he looked ahead of them. His lips were tight, and his gaze was still with ill intent as his hands grasped Sakura's arm hard.

' _Please,_ ' Sakura begged in her mind once they reached their hotel. ' _Please let no one have seen. Please let Sasuke keep quiet about this._ '

She didn't let go of Gaara once they entered their room. Sakura did not stop to greet those who took a moment to wave at her and Gaara. Her pace never faltered until she threw them into their room and quickly locked the door behind them. Only after then did she toss Gaara lightly out in front of her. Before the boy could even turn himself, Sakura nabbed him by the shoulder and forced him to face her. His angry gaze did not falter under her own look, and she grounded her teeth before demanding answers from him.

"What were you thinking?!" she cried, shaking him lightly. "What is the matter with you?!"

Gaara said nothing, and only kept his cold stare on Sakura. Yet, after her words, it was like an explosion of sand suddenly filled the room, and the grains quickly resided around Sakura and Gaara then, rippling around their feet like water. However, his actions did not deter the young woman, and she held her figure above him and kept her look authoritative.

As Sakura had learned, in time, Gaara's angry stare was linked to the sand around him. When angered, when emotional, it seemed his sand took the opportunity to present themselves. Maybe, Sakura thought, it was Shukaku who did this, and his sand was his silent way of telling the boy,

" _Here I am. Use me._ "

For his sand only suddenly appeared like this when he was on the verge of rage, or frightened like a cornered animal from confusion and misunderstanding.

Sakura's hand found the collar of Gaara's shirt then, for the boy was still silent and challenged her stare. She shook him lightly again.

"Say something!" she ordered him.

Gaara sneered and took a hold of Sakura's arm.

"Let go of me!" he cried, trying to push her arm aside.

Despite her strength, she let go of the boy as soon as she noticed he was desperately trying to back away from her. When his angry eyes returned on her, he grounded his teeth before screaming at her.

"Why?!" he cried with shaking fists. "Why him, and not me?!"

Sakura blinked, baffled by Gaara's words. So, she remained quiet, even if the boy was waiting on her answer. With the idea that this whole situation was a misunderstanding, Sakura's heated anger began to cool, and as Gaara saw her angry eyes dissipate, so, too, did his narrow gaze begin to widen. Yet, as the silence lingered, and as Gaara drew up his own conclusions in his mind for Sakura's muteness, he let tears begin to trickle down his face despite himself telling his mind not to show Sakura his tears.

"Why..." Gaara whined, trying to wipe his tears away. "Why can it never be me? I just want it to be me...just this once!"

Sakura slowly dropped to her knees before reaching for the boy. Her heart ached to his tears, and she was quick trying to pull him into an embrace, but the boy quickly stepped away from her approach.

"Is it because I'm still the bad guy?"

Sakura raised her eyebrows then, and shook her head to his question.

"You're not a bad guy, Gaara. I would never call you my friend if I thought you were a bad guy."

Still, despite her reassuring words, his answer seemed to invoke only more tears as he stared at Sakura in confusion. This time, as Sakura placed her hand on top of his head, he did not pull away. Again, the pair stared at one another.

"Then why?" Gaara begged. "When will it by my turn?"

Sakura sighed to this, and shook her head when she realized bouncing around his questions was not giving her her ultimate answer. She still was clueless as to what Gaara was saying.

"What are asking me, Gaara?" Sakura said with a soft smile, ruffling the boy's hair some. "I don't even know what you're talking about."

The boy grounded his teeth some then, his angry eyes staring once more into her to her nonchalant mood. His tears seemed to explode with his next words, and his sand did the same around their feet.

"Why don't you love _me_?!"

Sakura was aghast to his question, and her hand had stilled within his red locks. His tears flowed silently as Gaara tried to hold back his hiccups while keeping his eyes steady on Sakura's own round ones. For her, she was quiet, trying to fall back at what moment, when it was, she had told the boy she loved him. Surely, through all this time, she had said it at least once to him.

She couldn't recall that moment.

She opened her mouth, to remind the boy that all of her actions should have clearly spoken to him about the care she had for him. Yet, her mouth shut when she realized that, for Gaara, who had a confusing sense of healthy relationships and overall no idea what love truly looked like, there was no way he could decipher that in his young mind.

In a sense, he could at least comprehend her friendship and care gave them a bond, but unless she taught him what it meant, or put a label on their connection, the boy was left on his own trying to put a word on how Sakura felt for him. He didn't want assume, but from his angry tears now, it had probably been eating him up inside trying to figure out how Sakura felt for him, and how confusing he must have felt seeing her declare love to another so easily.

In its own way, as Sakura continued to stare into the boy's wet eyes, she realized then that it was also love he felt for her. Yet, her mind still tried to contradict that, emphasizing how he was still years away from healing and coming to terms that he could love another like he had with his uncle. However, his tears, even his actions against Sasuke now, told her otherwise, and the thought warmed her heart while also reminding her how easy it was even for her to think Gaara did not love her. If she fell to that line of thought so quickly, it was no wonder the boy did the same.

She had no knowledge of it, but the boy wanted so so much from the woman who cared unconditionally for him. He wanted the most he could get from Sakura, since she already offered up so much happiness and peace within his soul.

Her mind, then, fell to the little boy in front of her. It fell to everything she had learned through him, it fell to his many smiles and laughs. It fell to his hugs, his questions, and the way he chased after her hand now. It fell to the way he called her name, and it fell to the idea of how happy she was now knowing the little boy had reconciled with a few people already, and of how he had learned of his mother's own love. It fell to how much pride she now felt while looking into Gaara's teal gaze.

Gaara's eyes did not fall from her as her hand slid from his hair to his cheek, and he studied her touch through the side of his eyes before Sakura's voice brought his gaze back to her.

" **Don't** move," she suddenly told him.

Gaara said nothing, but did as he was told. Sakura, meanwhile, brought her face closer to his while holding his face in her hand still. Gently, she pressed her lips against the skin of Gaara's forehead and let it linger there for a few seconds. Instantly, she felt him tense to the action and he held his breath. From her kiss, she brought her lips back down close to his ear to whisper,

"I love _you_ , Gaara."

His eyes had gone round, tears no longer fell. He looked past her, still frozen in his spot, but shook once Sakura rested her forehead against his.

"I love you so so much, Gaara," Sakura spoke, brushing her fingers to wipe his tears.

Gaara's eyes met hers then, his breathing now heavy as he still shook.

"I'm sorry. I do love you, yet I couldn't see how much you actually wanted to hear it."

Sakura brought her head back a little when she felt his small hands rest against her cheeks like she did his. As she looked at him, Sakura could see him shaking still, with grounded teeth, as small tears broke through his eyes.

"This isn't a lie?" he whispered, his voice unable to be loud through his tears. "You're not just saying this because it's what I want to hear, right?

Sakura let out a small laugh before shaking her head.

"Nn," she murmured. "This is how I really feel."

He sniffled a little, trying to read the sincerity in her eyes.

"This is how I'll always feel," she told him then. "I know I've told you countless times how proud, and how happy I am for you. I tell you how I'll always care about you, and that I'll always feel those things for you."

She was able to get Gaara to smile for the moment before he nodded his head, acknowledging to her that he knew what she was talking about.

"When it comes to love, it won't be any different," she grinned. "I'll love you forever, Gaara."

As she spoke, Gaara's lips curled back, and he kept on nodding his head in understanding with his eyes below him. He fought to swallow his tears.

Sakura smiled seeing this, and she grinned at him while lifting his chin slowly up so that he could look at her.

"I know it's a lot to ask of you," Sakura said, her eyes even drifting away from his gaze. "But I hope, one day, you'll be able to say the same thing to me."

He surprised her by leaping to wrap his arms around her neck, and Gaara buried his face into her shoulder.

"I...I..." he cried out, but stopped once his trembling returned.

Sakura returned the hug, smiling brightly when he spoke words she never expected to hear when first arriving here.

"I love you too, Sakura!" Gaara spoke, and he was even able to laugh some through his tears, happy of this outcome. "So much!"

Sakura grinned, patting Gaara's back now. She never would have expected herself to love, and be loved, by a child until she had her own. However, time had shown her otherwise, and she couldn't stop herself from smiling as her whole body warmed to Gaara's declaration.

"I'll always love you too!" he repeated her words. "No matter what."

"You have to remember," Sakura began, "there are others out there who will love you one day. I won't be the only one. Your siblings, Tsutomu, Matsuri, Baki, and Chiyo-baasama, they are close to you already, I'm sure if you keep showing them kindness they can return this same love. You have so much support now."

Gaara nodded against her shoulder, his arms still tight around her.

"Just as long as you're here, with me, I'll be fine if it's just you forever," Gaara whispered.

And as warming as this situation was, as huge of an impact she knew their declaration to each other to always be, Sakura's heart broke then to Gaara's words. Forever would be impossible, and her time here grew shorter with each passing day. His words sparked inside her mind the reason she was really here in Konoha. There was a scroll she had to retrieve tonight before they left the next day. There was still a talk Sakura had to prepare for, but _only_ if the scroll was a way back home. Looking out the window, she realized how late into the night it already was, and how she needed to act quickly now.

"Hey," she murmured, unwrapping Gaara's arms and pushing the boy lightly to take a step back.

She picked up his face with her hands, and smiled when her emerald met his teal gaze.

"When we go home, back to Suna, let's have a party," Sakura proposed.

Gaara's eyes lit up curiously.

"Yeah!" Sakura grinned. "I know it's late, but we could celebrate your birthday."

Gaara smiled then, grinning and showing off his missing tooth.

"Kankuro and Temari will definitely be there. We'll invite Matsuri, and we'll ask Tsutomu to come. I'll also ask Baki and Chiyo-baasama to come."

It was a rushed thought on the spot, but an idea Sakura believed would help Gaara realize, and come to terms, that he already had so many people in his life. Even if it always hurt to lose one, she wanted the young boy to see he had others to lean to without her there, and also help him understand his sense of direction that, yes, he could makes friends and have loved ones in life even without her.

He had done so anyway without her in her own world.

"I've never had a party before..." Gaara commented. "You really think they would all come?"

Sakura nodded her head quickly.

"Of course they will, Gaara" she told him. "They all care about you."

She smiled and watched as Gaara brushed his hands against her arm in thought. The idea was alluring to him, and it didn't take him long before nodding back at Sakura.

"Yea," he finally agreed. "That sounds fun. You'll be there too?"

Sakura pulled Gaara in for a quick embrace, and surprised the boy by planting a kiss against his cheek.

"Isn't that obvious?" she said with a small laugh. "I'm not going to miss a chance to eat cake."

Sakura stood then, leaving the boy to watch her dress in her ninja attire as he smiled at all she promised now. He rubbed his cheek lightly where Sakura had pressed her lips.

"There will be cake?" he asked excitedly.

"Cake, presents, music, everything you can think of for a party!"

Gaara grinned then, looking up at Sakura as she knelt down to ruffle his hair.

"Remember that important thing I need to do tonight?" Sakura asked.

Gaara nodded, and even smiled. This time not deterred that she would be leaving him on his own. He would sit and play with his own thoughts of the party that would be.

"Un," he nodded. "I'll stay in the room. I won't go out. I'll be good."

Sakura brushed his hair then and grinned.

"You're a good boy, Gaara," she told him before standing and making her way out.

Yet, the boy reached for her.

"Wait!" Gaara called for her.

Sakura turned then, and tilted her head as he reached for her. Her heart melted instantly as he embraced her leg for a hug.

"I love you, Sakura," he whispered, testing the waters still with this phrase.

Sakura lowered and returned his hug. She held him tight then knowing, in the back of her mind, she would one day have to let him go.

"I love you too."

Gaara let her **leave** after that, watching her jump away from roof to roof into the night. Though curious of her actions, his mind preoccupied with so many other happy thoughts that he did not question her. Sakura had promised him they could do whatever he had wanted just as long as he gave her this night to go out and do what she needed to be done. He didn't dwell on the meaning, or contemplate whether she would return or not. In his heart, now, he knew Sakura would always return to him.

Always.

Meanwhile, Sakura had cleared her mind of the boy behind her, instead she focused on the Hokage's building some distance away. She was grateful for the wind and snowfall now that helped to cover her. This would be easy for her, she knew, and she stopped momentarily just as she landed on top of the roof.

"Sorry," she whispered to the village then. "There's something I need to take."

She sneaked her way into the room, eyes roaming in the general direction she remembered Kakashi had been before he handed her the scroll. When seconds became minutes, Sakura began to wonder if the small box that held the scroll had yet to be placed in the room yet; worst, maybe the scroll hadn't found its way into this world yet.

However, it was like a calling to her once she caught glimpse of that familiar red and gold box. Under her mask, she grinned at the sight.

' _Found you,_ ' she triumphantly thought.

* * *

"Did you enjoy your stay? It's a lot different here than Suna, isn't it?"

Sakura looked down towards Gaara next to her, waiting to see if he would shy away from the gatekeeper like he had when they first arrived. The Konoha man asked these questions to the small child as another ninja went through their bags.

To his questions, Gaara looked up at Sakura, and the young woman raised an eyebrow towards Gaara.

"What? You don't have to look at me every time someone asks you something. You can answer them if you want," Sakura spoke.

Gaara blinked, staring at Sakura for some time before his eyes returned to the smiling gatekeeper.

"Aa," Gaara murmured to the man. "It is."

The man grinned, happy to see Gaara open up to him just a little more.

"What was your favorite thing here?"

Gaara blinked again, eyes drawing downwards in thought.

"The cherry blossom tree," he answered with eyes returning to the man.

The guard leaned back in his seat then, a little baffled by Gaara's answer.

"Cherry blossoms?" he questioned before turning the woman next to him. "Ain't no cherry blossoms this time of year, right?"

The woman continued searching through their bags as she answered,

"None that I can think of except that big tree in..."

The woman blinked in thought, never finishing her sentence, and she narrowed her gaze then towards Sakura.

Sakura meanwhile waved her hands, and laughed nervously before clasping her hands onto Gaara's mouth.

"He just has a wild imagination," was Sakura's excuse lest they be questioned.

The gatekeepers stole a quick glance to one another before sighing. Instead of prodding, they accepted Sakura's answer before handing off the bags back to her and Gaara, as well as the rations Sakura was originally sent to retrieve.

"Safe travels," the guards told the pair before waving Gaara goodbye.

He returned the gesture.

"We'll come back soon," Gaara told them before following Sakura. "After my party!"

Their pace was the same as when they first arrived, making camp around the general same areas. Sakura had even ushered Gaara, on their first night, to play with the snow and examine the plants and trees as much as he could before the terrain changed around them.

"Did you have fun?" Sakura asked him time to time.

Gaara nodded his head, smiling big. Like before they came, he made a proposal.

"We should live there one day, together."

Sakura just laughed to that statement, thinking in her mind how important Suna would actually be to him given his future role.

"Something tells **me** you'll change your mind about that when you're older," she joked to him.

She asked him what was the first thing he wanted to do once they returned home.

"Kakigori!" he exclaimed. "Then I have to give the gifts."

Sakura smiled to that, and teased him some more.

"I guess you're not as big of brat as I thought," she playfully joked.

And of course, Gaara constantly questioned Sakura about his party.

"When will we have it?"

"We'll figure it out once we get home, alright?" Sakura smiled to the boy.

It would be on their final day's travel, once they were back in Wind Country and snow had become sand once more, did Sakura stop their running once she caught sight of a small oasis.

' _Perfect!_ ' she thought while running her fingers through her black hair.

Through the sand, she led Gaara towards the small pool of water. As Sakura knelt down on the edge of the water, Gaara meanwhile sought refuge at the lone palm tree, and he swung himself around it over and over before staring at Sakura as she began vigorously washing her hair.

"What are you doing?" Gaara asked, his fingers still playing with the bark of the tree.

Sakura dipped her head into the water, rinsing out what chemicals and soaps she had just lathered into her hair. She sighed once she saw some pink breakthrough the black.

"Washing off the dye," she told Gaara.

The boy hummed for a moment.

"Good," he finally told her. "You'll look like a cherry blossom tree again."

Sakura chuckled lightly, lathering her hair once more and scrubbing a little more harder.

"I am Sakura, after all," she murmured.

The boy was quiet, but his thoughts ventured to their first meeting, and he recalled the story Sakura had told him of her name and how everyone found the tree beautiful. Now, he admitted to himself, he understood the tale, and he smiled while staring at Sakura's back. He even sat and watched her for a time once he heard her humming his mother's song.

As minutes became an hour, Gaara decided to venture deeper into the desert as Sakura continued to work hard on her hair. She could leave no evidence of black, lest Rasa question. Eventually, she stared hard at her reflection in the pool of water, using it as a mirror and making sure all the black dye was gone.

"I think I got it all," she whispered, rinsing her hands in the water.

As she leaned back, she paused for a moment as she saw a shadowy reflection through the ripples next to her own mirrored self. Her eyes even widened for a moment as she heard a man whisper her name. The ripples settled, and who she saw in the pool was Gaara, and he smiled behind her.

"Sakura!" he called.

Sakura blinked, turning her head to the call of her name. Yet, as she turned, she was met face first with the eyes of a snake. The viper had two horns, and it even bared its long fangs in Sakura's direction. Holding the snake up by the neck was none other than the little boy she had come to care for.

"Look what I found, Sakura!" he beamed brightly. "Can I keep it? I promise I'll take good care of it."

To the close range, Sakura screamed before knocking the snake out of Gaara's hand with a slap.

"Ah!" the boy cried, watching the snake soar through the air.

A distance away, the viper plopped back down onto the sand before it quickly buried itself and slithered away in a hasty escape. Gaara quickly gave chase.

"Kamitsuku, come back!" Gaara called, racing after the scurrying viper.

Sakura watched as Gaara disappeared into the distance, past a dune, and he quickly vanished from her line of sight.

"Gaara!" Sakura cried. "Get back here!"

When she got no reply, Sakura groaned in irritation before picking herself up. She stepped foot in his direction, but stopped when she heard her name called again. It wasn't the child's voice that beckoned, but instead an older man's. She glanced behind her, and spotted no one. As distant as the call had sounded, Sakura was sure someone had uttered for her.

"Hello?" Sakura called back, glancing all around her once again.

Silence followed her call, and the rosette shrugged it off as the wind before taking another step.

"Sakura."

Sakura quickly spun on her heels, looking once again for that familiar voice that kept calling to her. She narrowed her eyes when she, again, found no one.

' _Someone is out there..._ ' she thought, sure of what she had heard.

She turned her head, about to call Gaara once more to return, but gasped when she caught sight of the looming shadow within the pool of water. Slowly, she drew closer to edge of the oasis, examining the shadow. Her eyes widened as even the black of the shadow hid her own reflection, and she studied the silhouette before coming to the conclusion that the shadow was shaped like a human. Though not her own, there was something familiar about the shadow's shape. It was still, but Sakura nonetheless began to back away.

' _A jutsu,_ ' she quickly thought, and reached for a kunai from her pocket.

Her mind fell to the possibilities of robbers, that maybe they had been stalked in their travels despite her not sensing anyone. However, before her voice uttered a name, that man's voice rang again.

"Sakura. This way."

There was no mistaking it now; the voice was as soft as the wind, but Sakura was sure it came from the shadow in the pool. Sure enough, as her eyes looked back down into the water, the shadow had now moved its arm. Its hand was gestured towards her in invitation, and its words beckoned her even more.

"This way."

To the call of her own name, the familiarity of that deep whispering voice, Sakura knelt back down towards the edge of the pool, studying the shadow some more.

"What is this?" she asked herself.

She got no answer, and minutes passed in silence once more before a breeze spoke to her again.

"Sakura. This way."

Sakura swallowed hard, and trembling fingers finally reached for shadow's hand. She knew her mistake the moment her fingers brushed the water, and everything happened so suddenly. She felt a hand grip her wrist hard, and her vision was a splash of water before a bright, white light blinded her. Despite the danger she was now sure she was in, her struggle was set solely on the thought of the little boy, and how she had to break free so as to make sure he was alright. Yet, all she could feel was her body sink lower and lower as a weight pulled her more downward into the bright light. In the back of her mind, she knew this scene had happened once before.

She cried Gaara's name, which only came out as bubbles as the weight on her wrist dragged her down.

Above her, on the sandy surface, the child she screamed for had reappeared, and he laughed while watching the viper struggle against his grip. He smiled and stood himself tall on the small, sand hill that overlooked the oasis.

"Sakura!" he called for her. "Look, I got Kamitsuku back! I-!"

His eyes widened briefly at the small oasis below him. His eyes traveled from the still water of the pool, to the lone tree that their bags still rested against. He looked to the sides of him, he looked behind him, he looked as far as his eyes could travel for that familiar pink hair he had grown to love.

With time, Gaara had forgotten about the snake in his hands, and eventually the viper was able to break free from his loosening grip. As the creature fell back down it gave a small strike at Gaara's feet, slithering away after the boy's sand shield protected him from the viper's venomous bite. Yet, the child paid the snake, and its actions, no mind. Instead, Gaara just stood there, his eyes confused as he stared out towards the large, empty world of sand around him. The gusts began to pick up then, grains brushed his feet in the breeze, and his voice was lost to the loud howl of the growing wind.

"... **Sakura**?"


	39. Chapter 39

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My Capricorn sister made a lovely drawing inspired by this story that I'd love to share with you all. You can view it by clicking [here](https://ashley0-0maltese.tumblr.com/post/169650332510/medicine-time-sakura-kept-her-gaze-set). I'd recommend exploring her Tumblr as it consists more of her wonderful art as well as some good GaaSaku writing.

Once, long ago, a boy was born.

He came into this world coated in blood and sand. He carried that cloak of red grains on his back for many years, staining it darker from the slaughter of others.

"He is a monster," the world would say.

Their echoes were not quiet, and so the boy sought solace through his uncle.

"You are not a monster," his uncle told him. "You are a human."

The young boy had wonder in him. The young boy had wishes in him. The young boy had knowledge in him. The young boy had needs in him. The young boy deciphered right from wrong. The young boy had passion in him. The young boy had desires in him. The young boy had dreams in him. The young boy laughed. The young boy smiled.

The young boy loved.

Inside the young boy was an ocean of emotions, and his uncle's words were enough for him to agree.

"I am a human," the young boy would say. "I am not a monster. I know what love is."

...

Once, long ago, the young boy was born again.

He wrapped that robe of sand tighter around him, and dyed it even more crimson with the blood of his uncle.

" _You are a monster,_ " something much darker whispered in his mind. " _You are not a human._ "

The dark gnarl was vile, but the boy desired its vow.

The boy was numb of pain. The boy viewed the world as gray. The boy's existence and care did not venture away from his own desires. The boy did not recognize what was right or wrong. The boy's dreams turned into nightmares. The boy's desires came with bloodshed. The boy did not care that the world cast him aside. The boy trusted no one. The boy frowned. The boy hissed.

The boy hated.

Inside the young boy was an empty abyss, and the murmurs from the darkness in his mind were enough for him to agree.

"I am a monster," the young boy would say. "I am not a human. I do not know love."

…

If you were lucky, if you still had a breath to ask him, sometimes the boy would say more.

"I  _once_  was human. Before my uncle attacked me, and tore my heart apart, I knew what love was."

Ask him more.

"I am thoughtless. I am empty. I do not know why they made me,  _but_  I use to know what love was."

Ask him again, and he will reply slow.

"All I require now is blood and purpose. I do not know love. I am a monster."

…

Once, long ago, the monster met a human.

Another boy, with golden hair, whose soul was so full of passion and fire that it scorched the monster's heart. The blonde boy had pointed his finger at the monster while crying out to it.

"You do know love. You are no monster. You are a human, just like me."

This was true, the blonde boy was just like him, with dark whispers in his mind. Yet, despite the echoes, this blonde boy refused to be viewed as a monster. He had set his own path despite the words of others, and he defied what the monster had been taught all these years.

It was then the monster was born again, a third time, into a young man.

This time, as the young man grew, he did not sway in his mind ever again. Instead, when people asked him, he would reply.

"I am a human. I am not a monster. I know what love is."

He did not lie. He was not born again. Instead, he was able to grow into a fine man.

The blonde boy had helped to make this young man the hero of a story.

* * *

Sakura opens her eyes.

With the weight on her arm now gone, she instead turns her head around to take in the bright void around her.

' _This place again,_ ' she thinks in her mind.

The sensation is like being submerged in water, but the world around her is anything but liquid. It's simply white. Familiar with this scenario, Sakura does a quick move with her fingers, trying to release this world one would assume to be an illusion. Not surprisingly, the world around her remains the same and she winces as soon as her body begs for breath.

' _Does this mean,'_  Sakura thinks, now swimming her way through the empty void. ' _I'm going back_ _?_ _Am I finally going back home?_ '

She stops her ministrations, floating once more as she tries to decipher which way is up and down. Yet, as she takes a moment to think, her eyes widen and only bubbles come forth as she tries to gasp once realization hits her dead on.

' _Gaara!_ ' she cries in her mind. ' _I didn't get a chance to explain. I didn't give him a goodbye!_ '

Everything, then, happens in a flash. Tall mirrors suddenly appear all around her. Their reflection empty as Sakura swims up to examine one, and before she can even ask herself what is happening, familiar-sounding tears suddenly reach her ears.

' _Gaara!_ ' Sakura thinks, able to decipher that young wail easily.

The crying is faint, and as Sakura turns in its direction she can see a lone mirror off in the distance that the other mirrors lead toward, like a path. There is no doubt in her mind then. Gaara is crying, he needs her, and Sakura swims as quickly, as she can, towards that lone mirror.

"Sakura. This way."

To that new voice, Sakura stops for a moment. It is the same voice that beckoned her into the oasis, and she glares towards the familiar shadow that now resides in the mirror next to her. Like on the surface, the shadow holds a hand out towards her.

"This way," it repeats.

Yet if her glare were to speak for itself, it would be telling the shadow that she does not trust it. It is at fault for bringing her here anyway. Above that, there is the small cry she can still hear and her instinct now is to reach the child.

' _Gaara, just hold on,_ ' Sakura thinks as she begins swimming once again to that lone mirror. ' _Don't cry, I'll be right there. I still have to tell you the truth._ '

Unbeknownst to her, as she swims past the many, lined up mirrors, the shadow quickly follows her from one mirror to the next.

"Sakura. This way," it continues to speak, trying desperately to draw her attention back to it.

Sakura ignores it, instead stopping short in front of the lone mirror. Her eyes waver as she spots the familiar, crying boy in its reflection. With eyes closed, he wipes at his tears while kneeling on the floor. Sakura tries to call his name, but her voice is lost to this, seemingly, world of unseen water.

"Sakura," the shadow tries again, stopping in a mirror next to her. "This way."

With its voice already lost to her, Sakura instead searches for a way to get Gaara's attention. She brings a fist up towards the mirror, tapping on the glass. Still, the boy does not look up to her.

' _Gaara_ _,_ ' Sakura begs in her mind. ' _Bring me to Gaara, please!_ '

"Sakura," the shadow calls. "This way!"

Sakura locks her fist tight, bringing it as far back as she can before striking the mirror in front of her hard. She surprises herself as a crack in the glass suddenly appears, but smiles once the boy, in the reflection, finally brings his swollen eyes up to look at her. She grins when his wet eyes meet her emerald gaze.

"Sakura!" the shadow's voice grows. "This way!"

Sakura waves at the little boy as he continues to stare at her.

' _I'm here,_ ' she speaks in her mind. ' _Please, don't cry anymore._ '

"Sakura!" the shadow cries one last time.

The boy in the mirror sniffles before his arms stretch for Sakura. Despite the glass, Sakura reaches for him as well, hoping to embrace and comfort him like she has been doing. It doesn't even phase her as her hands pass through the clear glass, and the warmth of the child is soon felt as they begin to wrap themselves into one another.

"This time," the boy whispers as Sakura pulls him towards her. "Don't let go."

The boy's warmth suddenly disappears, and before the rosette can even back away to look to where he has gone, she slams into green ground under her. Though there was no sense of falling, the impact feels as though she has fallen from a very high place, and she is quick to draw in a deep breath before she moans at the ache in her body and rolls herself to her backside.

"Again?" she whispers, remembering the impact of when she had first fallen into the past.

Yet, at the remembrance of the ordeal, Sakura shoots her back straight up and glances at the scene around her.

"Gaara!" she tries calling, recalling the crying boy.

Her call echoes through the vast forest around her, but the only reply she receives are from the tweeting birds around her. She takes note of the flourish, green scenery around her, trying to decipher where she is.

"Definitely not Wind Country," the rosette murmurs to herself, eyeing the familiar looking trees. "I'm back in Fire country."

To that thought, Sakura lowers her head with her mind full of questions. Her eyebrows pinch together and her eyes waver as she stares at the green, grassy ground.

' _How did I get back here?_ ' she wonders. ' _W_ _e were almost to Suna._ '

Her eyes narrow all the more and as she recalls the surreal moment that just happened to her, she lifts her head up and widens her eyes as another possibility hits her dead on.

' _Am I back in my own time?!_ '

A chance, she knows, as the same ordeal had happened to her when she ended up in the past. Hopefully, she has transcended ahead than back and looks behind her to see if she can spot her bag that contains the scroll.

' _But I..._ ' she thinks, and blinks when she spots nothing behind her. ' _I didn't even look at the scroll, or_ _touch_ _it. Does this mean it meant nothing at all?_ '

She stares long at the empty spot and her heart sinks once she recalls another she has left behind.

"Gaara..." she whispers.

Sakura takes her time sitting there and thinks back on where she had left the boy. She searches inside of her to find the courage she needs to accept that Gaara was capable of finding his way back home. She tells herself he had his siblings and friends now, and that he has the people in his life to help him continue to path of happiness.

Still…

"I didn't get to say goodbye…"

That idea, itself, is a lot harder to accept as it sinks in more and more into the rosette. In the end, Sakura has to fall back on one of their last conversations, the one where they had expressed their love for one another, to help her pull through in the moment.

"Who knows," she even murmurs to herself. "Maybe, I'm still in the past. Maybe, I still have a chance..."

At this point, she knows what she has to do. She will abdicate those thoughts of the child and head towards the nearest town to verify what time she is now in. After that, once she knows what time she is in, she will decide whether to head towards Konoha to report all to Kakashi that has transpired, or race towards Suna and search for the little boy.

As she presses against her hands to stand, she winces at the pain in one of her wrists before she sits back down and brings her hand up to examine it.

"I must have hurt it during the fall, it's swelling," she murmurs to herself.

Her impact had been a hard one and she narrows her eyes up towards the sky in wonder.

"Where would I have fallen from?" she wonders, staring up at the trees. "A teleportation jutsu?"

Though high, any fall from a tree nearby wouldn't have cast her this much hurt and she grimaces at the wonder happening around her.

' _Why is it, now, I'm finding new, crazy jutsus that create a new past_ _that_ _toss you to fall_ _into_ _?_ ' she thinks while shaking her head.

She can't wait to speak to the Hokage about this, but not before giving him a piece of her mind. She begins to focus her chakra into her hand, hoping to help the swelling on the other, but is surprised to find that her chakra level is suddenly scarce. It's like a light flickering onto her hand before giving out.

 _This_ , has never happened to her before.

Despite the small panic in her, she holds her composure while trying to focus her chakra towards her feet. Like her hand, there is a brief surge before her strength is suddenly lost.

' _What is going on?_ ' she thinks, cupping her hand to her chest.

Inside herself, she can feel her chakra still. Her incredible power is still inside of her, but it doesn't respond as she tries to call it out. Once more, she tries focusing it towards her hand, but her power does not respond to her mind. After that, she quickly hops to her feet and looks out towards the direction of the nearest town.

She  _really_  needs to have a talk with Kakashi, and the piece of mind can wait now.

She takes the opportunity, as she stands, to examine herself once more. Again, as she tries to focus her chakra to a certain spot, she feels her power still reside within her chest and sighs to this. She can't blame this ordeal on fatigue, for, as she begins to run, her speed is as quick as ever and her breath is not of a tired one. Though, she will admit she feels a little off, but squares the reason solely on her lack of response from her chakra.

' _Maybe this is an after effect,_ ' she thinks. ' _Maybe my body took an ordeal through all this mess and just needs to recoup._ '

As the more possible reasoning at the moment, Sakura feels herself relax a little more knowing that she just needs some time before her body and chakra will weave back together in balance.

She races on. Of course, leaping from tree to tree would be faster, but she makes due with her legs and raw strength alone, and it will only take her a little over an hour before she can see a town in the distance within a clearing. Though, before she draws near to it, does a troubling smell fill her senses. It had actually made her stop once before the minute she smelled it a while back into her run, and she had peered around the forest searching for the source.

"Smoke," she murmurs, turning to try and find the fire that burns.

She presses on closer, but as she looks towards the town, she stops with wide eyes and peers at it from a distance. Though obviously contained, smoke rises into the sky from one spot within the town and the rosette can also pick up another, horrendous smell.

"They're burning bodies..." she whispers, covering her nose to rid the stench.

At the moment she is flabbergasted.

Though big, the town houses nothing but families and a few leisure spots. Never would this charming place draw attention from any sort of enemy. The people here always keep to themselves that she doubts anyone of interest would hide within those walls that would have others attacking the place. Not to mention, whatever fairness comes from war, this town is off limits and generally out of the cross-fires of Konoha. Yet, as Sakura thinks of those options, she realizes then three things are very wrong with this picture.

First, that, if back in her time, there is currently peace among their world despite the small enemies that pop up from time to time. If these are flames of fighting, they are severely misplaced within this country. Second, if this truly is an attack on this town, where are her colleagues at? Where are the men and women, from Konoha, she knows to come to aid this town? Third, if bodies are being burned and not buried then the ones fanning the hot flames are…

She wastes no time and runs as fast as she can closer towards the town. As soon as she senses the presence of others, she makes due with what lone trees, bushes, and boulders she can hide behind. With men and women making rounds outside the village, Sakura conceals herself all the more to watch the people pass by. She bites her lip once she realizes the men in front of her are not dressed in normal attire the people of this town typically wear.

' _They're_ _trained like ninjas_ _..._ ' she realizes, watching and figuring out their pattern in their rounds.

She studies each one that passes by, scowling when she spots that none of them are wearing the typical forehead protectors that would help her figure out where they come from. She scans their appearances, she scans the weapons they carry. Hell, she even watches carefully to see if they will make a reaction to the weather here or stop to glance at the trees and flowers like one unfamiliar with such habitat. She looks for anything that will help her place where this enemy comes from. Yet, the more she watches, the more frustrated she becomes when she sees that each person is drastically different from the next.

' _Maybe they're a group of bandits..._ ' Sakura thinks.

She continues to watch, silent, studying their pattern still, but stops and blinks as soon as she hears music begin playing within the town. The more carefully she listens, the more she can make out the chatter and laughter.  _Loud_ laughter, and festive music. To that, Sakura grounds her teeth.

' _They're celebrating,_ ' she thinks. ' _Those bastards._ '

Ninja, bandit, samurai; war or no war, never would there be honor in taking lives from those both innocent, and incapable of defending themselves. She tries to believe the children were at least spared. She knows the folk here are not trained in combat, they rely on Konoha for that, and it blindly angers Sakura hearing the cheers within while wondering why her village has failed this town.

Sakura has had enough. Watching the scouts here give her no answers, only more questions. She decides to sneak her way around their pattern, one that she has just memorized, and make her way towards the back wall of the town. With its only entrance in the front, she smirks at the enemies ignorance for leaving the back less heavily guarded. It is almost a blessing for her as she stops short of a tall tree that towers above the town's high walls. Sakura glances around her, making sure the enemies eyes are not on her before she whispers to herself.

"Let's get a closer look at these assholes."

She makes a running start towards the tree and uses the momentum, and her raw strength, to easily swing and climb her way high up into the tree. She conceals herself within the leaves once she finds a decent spot to survey. Yet, the more she takes in, the more her eyes widen.

Like she has guessed, a celebration is happening. Yet, the people cheering and drinking look to all be ninja. Save a few who look not trained in combat, but still smile while dancing, playing music, and running around so as to not to let any cup empty of the alcohol they graciously pour. Sakura balls her fists in anger when she spots the pile of burning bodies and counts the many men and women cheering around it.

The pile is small compared to the large army. There wasn't even enough in this village to bleed on every blade each man in there now hold.

"This is a massacre..." Sakura murmurs, shaking her head as her eyes continue to catch sight of the many unsightly acts.

Facing her is a tall, wooden platform and frame, and she swallows hard when she can easily spot the red stain that pools on the brown wood. The men and women are leisurely relaxing around it while sipping their drink and celebrating their victory. Their voices suddenly boom, and Sakura catches sight of a prisoner being led up the platform. With their head in a bag, and arms tied behind them, Sakura's heart races when she sees the prisoner pushed roughly down to kneel within the pool of blood.

Sakura's instinct then is to make her move, to reach out and be that Konoha ninja this person needs before their neck meets a kunai. However, her body holds her back, reminding her that she is just one. Even with her strength, without her chakra, this unknown army of enemies could be her downfall. Instead, she watches. Watches as the executioner pulls off the bag, revealing an old man who hangs his head low. Though she can't hear, the executioner speaks to the old man before waving her hand towards Sakura's direction.

The rosette narrows her eyes, baffled by this display. She then spots a man, who sits some distance away in front of the platform, stand from the only seat within the army.

' _That must be their leader,_ ' Sakura thinks while narrowing her angry eyes.

Sakura's angry grip sinks somewhat into the bark of the tree she holds onto now. From his seat does Sakura stare at the tall glass this man holds, as well as the many scantily clad women that seem to settle around him and look up towards him with admiration. As Sakura eyes each girl one by one, she makes a realization.

' _Not just women,_ ' she thinks. " _Men too._ "

Yet, the leader and the old man suddenly conversing draws her attention back to the two, and she watches for a moment as they speak before the old man shakes his head. After that, the leader, gives the executioner a motion with his hand, and Sakura averts her eyes away from the old man and the blade. Instead, her gaze falls back to the leader.

Sakura continues to stare at him as cheers erupt once more and music is played. She chews on her lip when she watches the man throw his hands up into the air, beckoning his army to boom all the louder. She sneers as he begins to turn, facing her direction now as he looks down to one of the women who relaxes next to his chair.

Sakura gasps once she is given a better view of his face.

She knows that red hair. She knows that teal gaze that black skin wraps around. She knows that kanji etched on the side of his head.

"Gaara!" she hisses under her breath before sneering at the scene in front of her.

The tree receives more of her punishment then as her fingers slightly bend and break the wood. She's got her answers now. More answers then she expected, and quickly she makes her way down the tree, sneaks past the look outs, and literally throws herself back into the forest and sprints towards Konoha.

' _Gaara,_ ' she thinks with a snarl. ' _How could you?!_ '

Despite him not being the same child, Sakura can't help but feel betrayed as she swiftly runs. Even if Gaara of her own world holds no bond with her, her mind can't help but fall to the child she cared for. Never did she think she would be betrayed so badly once again in her lifetime.

Back in the town where the celebration continues, and the small pile of bodies grow and grow, the man with red hair has yet to take his seat and his distant eyes speak to only one other who draws up once he notices his leader's gaze.

"What's the matter?"

His leader says nothing, and just simply cranes his neck back for his eyes to peer better towards the tall tree behind the wall. He need say nothing, and the other man nods in understanding.

"I'll send some of  **my**  men out."

Gaara smirks then, chuckling in amusement just faint enough for his ears only before he returns to his seat and sips on his drink.

Meanwhile, a pink-haired women presses herself to run and not fall back, in her mind, on the child she had cared for.

' _Gaara,_ ' she keeps repeating in her mind. ' _Why? Why? Why?!_ '

Revelations come forth quickly, and Sakura tries to compose herself while accepting them all. She has found her time again, great on her part, she decides. Probably her biggest tribulation was solving a problem she had no idea where to start with, and miraculously, it seems time decided to fix it for her. Even if the thought of the child she had spent time with to be gone forever and without a proper goodbye, is a hard one, Sakura pushes those thoughts aside when she remembers the massacre she has just stumbled upon. She will lament later, at a more proper time. For now, she takes it upon herself to make it her duty to return home and inform Kakashi about what she has come across.

With her speed, Konoha is still a ways away, and as her mind begins pointing out certain events that has come to past, Sakura's eyes widen once she realizes important words from her Rokudaime.

" _This document was requested by the Kazekage himself,_ " Kakashi had told her while handing her the scroll. " _ _Sakura, do not let me down. This could possibly jeopardize our strong alliance with Suna. You got that? Failure is not an option.__ "

Though out of her control, she had done exactly what Kakashi asked her not to. She disappeared, losing that damn scroll within the vast desert, and had spent her time playing with a child while leaving her family back home to fight a war she possibly started. Maybe Gaara had thought that she had run off with the scroll. The more Sakura thinks of the possibility, the more abundantly clear it becomes for her to accept that this is probably the case.

' _Damn it!_ ' she curses in her mind. ' _I_ _t was out of my control!_ '

Instead of berating herself, she continues on with a new goal and newfound determination; She will explain herself. She will request an audience with Gaara and tell him her story, and hopefully, as understanding as she learned his younger self to be, so, too, will his older self understand Sakura's standpoint.

Still… a thought does trouble her.

' _Gaara had led an army to keep Naruto safe, and now he is leading another_ _in the direction of his home_ _. Has he lost his compassion and empathy to those closest to him? To the_ _point of_ _taking innocent lives?!_ '

The thought is quickly forgotten as soon as Sakura senses a shower of shuriken aimed for her back. She sharply turns to dodge the sharp metal, and continues to crisscross through the trees in hopes of losing her pursuers. She counts the men after her, listening to them run with her through the tall trees and tries once more to reach within her to draw out her power.

' _Not good,_ ' she thinks, sensing the men circling above her.

Without her chakra, her speed is nothing compared to theirs. Though able to dodge all that is thrown at her, it doesn't take long for these men to form a circle around her. They even manage to stop Sakura in her tracks as their circle jumps from the trees and lands to her level, trapping her from all around.

"Give it up," one of the men calls out. "Just come with us quietly, and we promise not to roughen you up  _too_  much."

As the group around her chortle, Sakura sneers. She throws her fist towards the man in front of her, causing him to jump away and back towards the safety of the tree. With a clear path in front of her now, Sakura runs once more, and the rest of the men and women jump back and continue their pursue. Sakura continues on, dodging still the objects that are sent in her direction.

Their speed is, currently, faster than hers. They have chakra on their side, but where one will once in awhile have a backbone to approach her, Sakura sends them quickly back with a hard punch. Still, for the rosette, the more she punches, kicks, and knocks out one pursuer, she can sense more suddenly appear. It will be a long while, but eventually Sakura feels herself breaking out into a sweat, and her limbs begin to shake somewhat to her hard hits without her chakra. They are tiring her out with their many numbers, and to the point where Sakura finally decides to just settle with the cards she is dealt with.

' _Fine,_ ' she thinks with narrow eyes and grotesque face.

She halts her movements, and in one blink of her eyes she is surrounded once more.

"Take me to Gaara!" she tells them. "Before I pulverize your faces in one by one."

If this was going to be the audience she needs to speak with Gaara, then she will take it now.

"Don't you worry," one of the men laughs, keeping Sakura's eyes focused on him as another approaches her from behind. "You'll get your chance to speak to him before we slit your throat."

She puts up a struggle as soon as she feels a bag placed over her face, blinding her. Yet, she stills her own self somewhat when she feels the men and women piling on top of her to hold her down.

' _I'll go like this,_ ' she thinks angrily, ' _but you better believe all hell is going to break lose once I'm in that town._ '

Rope and wiring, infused with chakra, is quickly tied to keep her hands behind her, but Sakura pays it no mind. As long as she gets to speak with Gaara, she will remember the faces here and beat them unrecognizable later. Their walk back is a long one, and Sakura's voice soon breaks the silence as agitation gets the better of her.

"You bastards do realize what you've done, right?!" she angrily starts. "The town's folk here had no way to protect themselves! How could Suna stoop so low? Has Gaara snapped?! Is this what he does as Kazekage?!"

It doesn't take long for the decision to gag Sakura is made, though the person who gagged her was left with a hard kick to the stomach and probably a few broken ribs. Yet, to her questions, one man does snicker before answering.

"Hold your tongue when speaking about our leader," the man spits at her. "And I would suggest you don't speak of Kazekages' in his presence lest you want to die right then. He isn't too keen on the title. Guess it brings back some bad memories of his old man or something. Never once has Gaara-sama labeled himself as the Kazekage or wished for a role like that."

A woman chortles then before saying her peace.

"Heh, as if there's a Suna to rule over anyway. I heard there is nothing left of that village."

 **Sakura**  halts her movements then and widens her eyes.

' _What…?_ ' she thinks, bewildered from their words. ' _Suna is...gone? Gaara_ _d_ _idn't want to be Kazekage_ _anymore_ _?_ '

"Keep moving!"

Sakura is roughly pushed, but even if her steps press on, her mind is running wild with new questions.

' _What are they talking about?! This doesn't sound like the Gaara I know. Then again, the Gaara I know wouldn't bring an army here to slaughter._ _A_ _nd what's happened to Suna?!_ '

Sakura feels as though a million pieces to a puzzle are now thrown right under her nose. Left on her own to put the pieces back together, she tries her best to reevaluate all she has seen, all she has learned, and all that she knows of Gaara. Slowly, but surely, she puts piece by piece together as their walk continues. Her thoughts go undeterred when she can even hear herself passing through the gates of the town and back to where the army cheers and sings. Even if the puzzle is far from complete, even if it will take her time to put all the pieces together, through what she has now she can see the clear picture this puzzle is turning out to be.

"I'll go get the captain. See what he wants to do with her."

Sakura's head shoots up then, and her heart sinks the lowest it ever has as she finally makes a realization.

' _I'm still not back home. I'm not where I'm suppose to be. I'm in_ _different time_ _again!_ '

What time is she in now, she desperately wonders. Gaara had looked to be around the same age as her now. Why were all these unexplained events revolving around Gaara anyway? And who was she in this world? As she was about to meet a serene man in her world, who was a killer here, was she thought to be the same in this world too. Did she match the Sakura of this world, or would Gaara view her as unrecognizable?

But then, as cliché as she knew it to sound, the many movies and books she had watched and read about time travel made her question in her mind.

' _Is this the same world I watched over Gaara? Is this his future? Did I do this?!_ '

No, she keeps telling herself. She had made him laugh. She had made him smile. She showered him with hugs and support. She praised his good ethics and taught him how to overcome the bad ones.  _This_  couldn't be her Gaara, she hadn't taught him to do a town in like this.

Her hearing perks, thoughts cast away, the moment a familiar voice hits her.

"So, there was one more out there after all," the man speaks, stepping closer towards Sakura. "Is she one of the town's folk?"

Another voice comes then, answering,

"I don't believe so, sir," the man begins, stepping closer towards Sakura. "She was headed in the direction of Konoha, a rebel for sure."

Silence after that, and Sakura feels that familiar presence draw near to her.

"Careful, she has one hell of a kick. I wouldn't get too close if I were you, Captain Kankuro."

Finally, the familiar voice has a name, and it is all Sakura needs before she tries to use her raw strength to break the chakra-infused bindings around her wrist. There is desperation in her now to speak with Kankuro and show him her familiar face. Yet, the break is slow, and therefore not quick enough to not be noticed.

"Hold her down!" a woman cries as Sakura begins kicking and using her body to knock back whoever lays hands on her then.

However, she is now in enemy territory and every mean manageable is used to bring her down until eventually Sakura finds herself pushed to the ground while bodies and hands scramble to hold her in place. Her struggle only stops when Kankuro's voice is heard once again.

"Keep still, or I'll drug you."

Her eyes narrow to the threat, but she does as she is told. There is no way she is going to speak her peace high on whatever they threatened to put in her.

"You know exactly what we do to rebels."

Silence again, and Sakura narrows her eyes more at the term rebel. She needs to find some way to reach out to Kankuro, and scours her thoughts thinking of a way. Yet, as she feels a foot settle on her head, slowly craning her neck to turn, she hisses through her gag.

"Renounce yourself in front of Gaara, join us, and maybe he'll spare you," Kankuro speaks.

She realizes it is Kankuro's foot that settles on her, and he gives her head a quick, rough nudge with it before turning heel and marching away. With his departing steps is Sakura able to recollect something they shared, something from their past that entwines around them, and she shuts her eyes tight before humming.

' _I can't believe it's come to this,_ ' Sakura thinks as she continues to hum three familiar notes through her gag. ' _He might not even know this song in this world._ '

She tries to hum as loud as she can. It  **is**  his mother's song, the one Sakura had helped both him, and Temari, to take back from their father's room. As she repeats those three, familiar, ascending notes, the more the men and women around her suddenly boom with laughter.

"What the hell is she doing?" one man asks, amused.

"Is she trying to sing some stupid lullaby or something?"

"Maybe she's trying amuse our captain. She does have a pretty face, Captain. You could probably send her to the prisons and keep her for awhile."

Despite the laughter and boorish comments around her, Sakura continues to hum as loudly as she can, and focuses instead on Kankuro's footsteps through all the noise.

"Captain? You alright?"

Sakura's eyes widen when she hears Kankuro's footsteps stop, and as the noise around her dies, so, too, does she silence herself.

"What's wrong, Captain? You look like you've seen a ghost or something."

It would be that comment that makes Sakura's heart race.

' _He recognizes it!_ ' she realizes. ' _He knows_ _his m_ _other's song!_ '

Sakura calls out his name, though still muffled by the gag. Kankuro's footsteps are now fast, and they practically race towards her. She feels him stop next to her before he lowers himself, and Sakura holds in her breath as she feels Kankuro slowly lifting the bag over her head.

"Where, uh-Where did you say you found her?" he asks while tugging the fabric from her face.

And as Kankuro's trembling fingers slowly pull at the bag, Sakura suddenly has a very disconcerting thought.

' _Maybe this is the same world_ _I look_ _ed_ _after Gaara_ _. After all, without me helping them break into Rasa's room, they wouldn't know their mother's-_ '

"Kankuro!"

A gasp leaves the man in front of Sakura, and he lets go of the bag around her face before standing back up to face the woman who has just called for him. For Sakura, though new wherever  _here_ is, she recognizes the woman's voice with no trouble.

' _Temari,_ ' Sakura puts a name on her.

"What's taking you so long?" Temari angrily bellows at her brother. "Gaara finished his speech long ago! She's the last one, right?!"

Kankuro, under his sister's pressure, suddenly fumbles with his words.

"No-No. I-I mean yes! Yes, she is, but she...I think. I mean. I don't know how, but Temari she, uh, knows. She knows-"

"Shut the hell up!" Temari cut him off, before her steps shake the ground as she draws up towards Sakura. "Grow a backbone already and speak right! You know what will happen if keep Gaara waiting and make him angry."

Kankuro gulps to his sister's harsh words, but says no more as he watches his sister motion his men to follow her with Sakura.

"Hurry up!" she tells them. "Let's get this done and over with!"

Sakura struggles against the sudden pull on her, but is unfortunately still pushed, and forced, towards the direction the many men are now carrying her. The rosette pays it little mind until she feels the sun hit her, and the roar of an army suddenly bellows as she is pushed in the direction Temari is headed.

"We're going up steps now," one man holding her tells her. "Pick your feet up."

And as Sakura recollects, from when she peered at the town earlier, the only wooden steps are those that lead up to the bloody platform.

' _They're going to kill me!_ ' Sakura thinks, now using her strength to struggle and push back against the men. ' _Not like this! I need to get back home, back to everyone!_ '

The crowd around her cheers, laughing as they watch Sakura struggle to break loose. A few even toss stones in her direction, hoping to hit her. For the rosette, she is still pushing against them as they manage to get her down to one knee, but eventually she stills once she feels a blade pressing against her throat.

"I'll slit your throat right now if that's what you really want," Temari hisses at Sakura.

Sakura does not move, and instead remembers the words Kankuro had told her before.

" _Renounce yourself in front of Gaara, and maybe he'll spare you._ "

With that thought, her opportunity to speak, Sakura lowers her other knee and keeps still as Temari smirks above her. Yet, with the blade on her neck, the rosette can feel the cool metal shake lightly against her warm skin from then hand that holds it.

' _She's...scared?_ ' Sakura wonders.

"Coward rebel," Temari whispers, keeping her blade set on Sakura's neck.

Sakura grimaces, thinking back on the scenario of the old man.

' _Temari..._ ' she thinks sadly. ' _Don't tell me you were the_ _executioner_ _for all those bodies_ _._ '

Sakura tries to listen as Temari's voice suddenly roars. She relays to the men and women how they have found a rebel running away like a coward, and that Sakura ought not even be given the opportunity to even speak to Gaara. Somewhere within her speech, she speaks more and more hate about these so-called rebels, that Sakura eventually loses interest in the whole scenario. Instead, under the bag over her head, she narrows her eyes and grounds her teeth against the gag.

In Sakura's heart now is anger. It was not that long ago that all three, Gaara, Temari and Kankuro, were just little people smiling in her direction and wanting nothing more than someone to hold and play with them. Here, now, she listens at their rage, has seen all the blood they have spilled in this town, and wonders just how the hell their future had turned into  _this_.

They were suppose to be good people. They  _were_  good people, in her world at least.

' _No,_ ' she tells herself. ' _This isn't_ _my_ _fault._ _I_ _showed them kindness._ '

Her actions were suppose to lead Gaara down a righteous path.

' _I_ _showed him love!_ ' she cries in her mind.

Even if she doesn't have a means to, Sakura can sense Gaara staring at her. She can't explain why, but she can feel his cold eyes looking at her now. A gaze she had thought to teach him to be rid of. Anger in her turns into disappointment, and Sakura swallows hard, trying to find anything in her mind that would explain the reasoning of the world around her.

' _Ichibi_ _?_ ' she wonders then.

Had the beast managed his way into Gaara's soul once more? If so, where had Naruto's voice fallen to. Where was that reform that was suppose to happen?

Anger fills her again at the thought of Shukaku wrapping its sharp claws around Gaara's mind. Anger turns into rage, and Sakura finds herself, once again, tugging against her binds. Despite the cold blade still on her neck, it seems Temari takes no notice of Sakura's struggles as Temari instead turns towards the man in front of her to speak.

"What say you? Do you wish to speak to her, or do I kill this rebel scum now so that it may please you, Gaara-sama?"

Whether he made a motion or not, he remains silent. Sakura stills herself once she feels that sharp blade press more against her neck, but nonetheless feels some relief come over her as the bag is  **finally**  pulled off of her head

The rosette squints once the brightness of the sun hits her vision, and she tries to drown out the loud noises of the army around who cheer, scream, call her names, and bellow at Temari to finish her off. As her blinding vision settles, Sakura takes a moment to scan her eyes around the army.

' _There's hundreds,_ ' she thinks.

Her senses pick up the burning bodies next and as her eyes find the pile of ashes, bodies and flames, they narrow in anger. The men and women here, encouraging this catastrophe, will pay for this, Sakura decides then, and she hopes to a power above her that she will be the one to repay them each. Starting with the man who led this massacre and holds a mindset that it was alright to kill innocents.

' _Gaara!_ ' Sakura screams in her mind, casting her gaze in front of her so that he may quake under the rage in her eyes.

The blade on her neck falls instantly then, but Sakura pays the blonde no mind as Temari suddenly stumbles  **back**  and away from Sakura with wide eyes.

"Sa-Sakura?" Temari whispers with a gasp.

And if Temari's fall wasn't enough to cause the army around her some alarm, Gaara's own movements then still every man, and woman, with the crowd falling deaf silent watching their leader.

Sakura turns her eyes just in time to watch Gaara quickly uncross his legs and stand himself from his seat. His act is so rushed that the glass he drinks from tumbles from his arm rest, causing one woman sitting under him to cry out as the red liquid showers her hair before she scurries off.

Gaara's eyes go round, mouth agape, and he stares long and hard at the rosette who keeps her angry gaze settled on him. With his shocked features set entirely on her, Sakura is more than certain now that the man in front of her was, just yesterday, the same child she hugged, kissed, and had told that she loved him.

' _Gaara,_ ' Sakura thinks, disappointed at the sight all around, and in front of her. ' _What happened to you?_ '

* * *

Once, long ago, the monster met a human.

This time it was a woman, and she smiled at the monster before he even knew her name. So young, the monster still teetered and wondered what he was meant to be. His uncle, he believed, had started him down a path of pain.

"I am a monster. I do not know love," he would tell the woman.

Like the blonde boy, she went against the monster's words.

"You do know love. You are no monster. You are a human, just like me. Your love will be as big as mine someday."

Her time with the monster was much longer, much more fervent, that it did not take the monster long to be born again, a third time, and tell the woman.

"I am a human. I am not a monster. I know what love is."

He did not lie. He was meant to grow into the fine man the woman always envisioned.

...Or so the woman had hoped.

In the end, her sudden abandonment would cause the young boy so much heartache and turmoil in his growing years, until eventually, if you dared ask, he might tell you.

"I am a monster. Until I had my heart torn apart,  _again_ , I knew what love was. I won't be fooled a third time."

He did not lie. He was born again, a fourth time, and grew into a depraved monster everyone else envisioned him to become.

The woman had helped to make this young man the villain of a story.


	40. Chapter 40

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beta'd by [**DistractedStudent**](https://www.fanfiction.net/u/3071144/)

' _Gaara, what happened to you?_ '

The question echoes in her mind over and over and over as she stares at Gaara's round gaze with her own narrowed look. Her features are like plaster, still, and the crowd around her seems to focus both entirely on her and Gaara only. As their stares linger, her solid gaze against Gaara's astonished features, the men and women around them slowly begin to whisper their thoughts.

"Who is she?"

"Someone important?"

"Did we manage to catch one of them?"

"Wait, doesn't she look a lot like..."

Their murmurs grow louder, and those who dare, doing so hidden behind their comrades, yell out their demands.

"Finish her off!"

"Do something!"

"Kill our enemies!"

"Death to all rebels!"

The army grows restless and their voices boom. Despite them and their threats, Sakura goes undeterred, instead letting the young man in front of her absorb the anger in her, towards him, through her eyes. Her gaze is enough to draw Gaara in, and he quietly absorbs the fact that someone from his past now stands before him. Yet, where Sakura is disciplined enough to ignore the cries of others around them, Gaara begins to falter with the growing voices, and he does jump slightly one cry, close to him, screams out.

"Finish her off already, Temari!"

Gaara's eyes drift then, despite himself, wanting nothing more than to keep his rocky gaze with the woman who resurfaces old memories and past whispers, his body abandons his mind and his line of sight drifts towards the crying crowd around him with eyes still wide and mouth agape. It's as if he is pulled back into reality, into his world, and along with him Temari obediently follows. Slowly, the blonde woman rises when she senses Sakura's next move.

Though her stare is still concentrated on Gaara, Sakura seeks the opportunity in his mistake of turning his eyes away.

' _So unlike a ninja_ ', she quickly thinks, remembering they are taught to never break the contact in their eyes, especially when up against an enemy.

For not only does it leave an open window for your opponent, but it also speaks louder to both parties over who has the upper-hand in the scenario. In a sense, if viewed as a fight, Sakura would say Gaara has backed away first by taking his gaze from her to another.

Yet, as quick as that thought comes, Sakura also realizes now is not the time to analyze such things. Instead, with the enemy's watchful eye gone, she gives her bindings one last hard tug. Slowly, she had been secretly pulling her binds loser and loser as her and Gaara stared at one another. Now realizing this, it is Temari who rushes towards her dropped kunai as soon as she spots the wires and ropes falling loosely from Sakura's fists.

However, the older woman is not quick enough. Reaching down for the metal blade, Temari's vision is quickly replaced with Sakura's fist, and she feels the hard, crunching impact before hearing Sakura's angry roar.

"This is for every one of those bodies in that pile!"

For Sakura, it's still hard to wrap her mind around the idea that Temari had been the one to drag her sharp blade across the many flesh of innocents. Whether she had played the role of executioner now only for Sakura, or all those burning corpses, Sakura does not hold back hitting the blonde hard. In the end, her actions, and the actions of her brother, are enough for Sakura to justify the hard punch. She doesn't even take the moment to watch Temari fly back, off the platform, and into the crowd. Instead, she reaches for the kunai before pointing it out towards the redhead whose eyes have returned to watch her actions.

"What have you done?!" Sakura cries towards Gaara, the blade still aimed at him.

The voices around her hush again and they watch the rosette spill outrage, revolt, and hurt with her next words.

Sakura keeps her hand steady, despite the anger in her, and her eyes once again challenge the young man who still stares at her in complete surprise.

"Why are you doing this?!" Sakura calls out again.

This time, Gaara finally manages to glower towards her and swallows hard, keeping quiet as Sakura waits for an answer.

In her mind, Sakura falls back to the Gaara of her time. He was Naruto's friend. He helped lead the world to peace. He was the good guy in her world, so what had happened here? Where had she gone wrong in teaching a sad, lonely boy that he was loved by many, including herself? She can't help herself as her mind falls back to all the hugs and laughter they had shared together, the memories that are still ever so fresh in her mind.

" _I love you too, Sakura._ "

Tiny Gaara's small voice begins echoing in her mind, words she literally had just listened to days prior. It is enough to suddenly make her hand tremble, and instead of showing that to Gaara in front of her, she brings her arm with the kunai back to her side.

"What is happening?" she murmurs to herself.

She questions not only everything around her, but what has transpired over the course of time. Quickly, she covers her eyes into her free hands, trying to stable her emotions. Though she cannot see, her actions are enough to make Gaara's eyes grow wide in shock, but her move then also speaks to his army, and from Temari's hit does the crowd find themselves able to step forward and rush towards Sakura. Like Gaara before, averting his gaze had told Sakura so much then, but she is a culprit as well as she lets the enemy see her sudden, chaotic emotions.

For the rosette, as soon as she senses their approach, she narrows her gaze at the hundreds that now race towards the platform. Though she knows this fight against her will not end well unless her chakra suddenly decides to cooperate, she puts up a brave face at those that approach closer and closer. She raises the kunai back up with a steady hand, silently telling them each that she has no fear as their cries ring out throughout the town.

Above them though, a voice roars even louder, and it shakes each and ever man.

"Don't touch her!"

Steps stop, and eyes turn then towards the source of that cry, Gaara. His eyes still set on the rosette, his gaze is narrowed and with rage, even his breathing is heavy. Sakura finally gets the challenge from his gaze she sought and she turns to fully face him, showing him once again, her anger through her scowl.

"She's  _mine_ ," Gaara says through gritted teeth.

Apparently his words are enough, whether through personal experiences or witnessing others, to send the army of men and women quickly racing back to the sidelines. Even his little harem scramble and disperse quickly, and the reason behind it becomes clear as Sakura watches a wave of sand suddenly pour out and race towards her in high speed. He doesn't wait for all of his colleagues to clear out of the way, and his eyes become deranged as Sakura takes a fighting stance.

' _I can dodge the sand,_ ' she thinks. ' _Dodge it and work my way towards him. If I can just get one hit in to knock him out then…!_ '

Sakura's thoughts stop as a loud, echoing sound suddenly fills the air. The sounds of birds tweeting fill the town and forest around them with noise. It's enough to make Gaara suddenly dismiss his attack, and like his army he carefully glances around the town searching for the source of the noise.

"What is that?" murmurs echo.

"Birds?"

"But there's so many of them!"

Sakura lets her eyes venture to her side for a moment, but quickly brings her gaze back towards Gaara. Yet, her mind is full of frantic thoughts.

' _Chidori!_ ' she thinks, placing a name on the sounds around her. ' _But then does that mean...Sasuke…?_ '

Her mind also tells her to abandon her thoughts and use the opportunity, and she does so by jumping off the platform and racing towards a distracted Gaara.

' _Just one hit,_ ' she keeps thinking. ' _Just watch his sand._ '

For her, everything seems to move in slow-motion as Sakura races with all her speed towards Gaara. Abandoning the kunai, she instead clenches her fingers into a fist, eyes still narrow as the redhead notices her move and brings his eyes back to face her.

' _Just one hit,_ ' Sakura continues to repeat in her mind.

Her moment seems sealed in victory as she draws nearer and nearer.

And yet…

His teal gaze meets with her emerald orbs, and she falters. Like the time with Sasuke and her vow to end Naruto's pain, her heart suddenly wavers. Her heart betrays her, and her mind is quick to silently remind her that his eyes have not changed over the years. The little boy appears once more in front of her, and he speaks again.

" _Let's go get Kakigori, Sakura!_ "

Sakura's steps do not stumble or trip, but they do slow their speed, and her eyes widen as her chest tightens. For Gaara, who quickly spots her hesitance, he is the one now given opportunity and he seizes it by whisking his grains once again towards Sakura. His determination does not falter while looking towards her. If anything, as he takes in her appearance exactly as he remembered it, his perseverance to capture her grows so much stronger.

However, Sakura watches as Gaara grits his teeth suddenly, annoyance evident on his face. His angry stare suddenly turns from Sakura to the side of him, and in that split second he waves his sand out in front of him while jumping back and farther away from Sakura. Sakura stops then, watching with wide eyes as her old teacher, Kakashi, suddenly appears next to Gaara in the blink of her eye. It's no question now why Gaara had cast his sand out to the side of him instead of towards her. Though the grains do not hold back the lightening in his hand entirely, it is enough to slow Kakashi's approach and give Gaara the opportunity to jump away.

Sakura stops then, watching the two now share a glance at one another. She listens as a battle behind her begins, cries of men and women, shouts of fighters all around her, and there is no doubt in the rosette that Kakashi has finally led the shinobi of Konoha here.

Kakashi is silent, as always, staring down the enemy in front of him, the lightening in his hand casting shadows all around. Yet, what catches Sakura's attention, is the small chuckle that emits from Gaara suddenly. The longer she and Kakashi watch, the louder that chuckle becomes until Gaara holds nothing back and bellows out an uncontrollable, loud laugh. Gaara's eyes grow wide, his manic expression held up with a grin, as he keeps his stare set on Kakashi.

"My lucky day," Gaara eventually manages out after his laughs. "Not only do I find one interesting person, but here is another just running up to me."

Gaara moves his arms slightly outward to the side of him then, chuckling once more as he motions his fingers up a little.

"Let's continue to keep this intriguing fight, shall we."

Grains start to pick up around Gaara from his motions, and Sakura winces slightly as a surge of dark aura chills her bones. Not only does a feel for a colossal amount of chakra hit her senses, but the ambiance from the source suddenly feels foul and sinister. In a sense, for Sakura, it is a magnitude of the ambiance she had first gotten going up against Gaara in her younger years at the exam. The power she feels now speaks two things in Sakura's mind.

First, as an ally, Gaara is one of the best Konoha can have. They were very fortunate for Naruto, and the gratitude the Kazekage of her time had for her blonde friend. For as an enemy now, Sakura actually worries for Kakashi in front of her, despite his demeanor saying otherwise.

' _This is power from Ichibi, he still has Shukaku in him!_ ' Sakura thinks.

Sakura continues to watch, in shock, as sand continues around Gaara still.

' _Is this his transformation?_ ' she wonders.

Not even the army behind her, with clashes of metals and jutsus, sways her attention. She is fortunate, unbeknownst to her, that Gaara's army still leaves her be just as he had ordered. She is left for Gaara just as he claimed. Kakashi's men, through what they see as Gaara's distraction, heed instead their silver-haired comrade's order.

Sakura steps back somewhat as a man suddenly appears next to her. She brings up a fighting stance only to bring it back down once she recognizes the familiar face.

"Lee-san!" she exclaims, a smile almost breaking across her face.

Though the recognition is not seen in Lee's eyes, and he even blinks somewhat in surprise at Sakura's use of his name before reaching out for her.

"Pardon my boldness, but my colleagues and I are going to get you out of here now. You have nothing to worry about!"

Sakura's eyes go wide as she is hoisted, easily, up by Lee and placed over his shoulders.

"Hey!" Sakura barks at him, fist rising. "Put me down this instant!"

Yet, as two more beings come to take Lee's back, Sakura is wide-eyed once again.

"Please don't struggle. It will be faster to escape this way," Tenten speaks, turning to face her back toward Sakura lest attackers come forth.

Next to Tenten is another man, and though quiet, he nods in agreement with Tenten while also scouting for enemies ahead of Lee.

"Neji…?" Sakura whispers with more questions filling her already overflowing mind.

"Let's go!" Lee cries out, lifting his free hand up as if he were leading a charge.

His acts cause his teammates to tense.

"Quietly, Lee. Quietly," Tenten tells him while Neji shakes his head disapprovingly.

Sakura cries out somewhat as Lee sprints away at a speed she can't even comprehend, and he yells out in a cheer while doing so. Sakura watches as Neji and Tenten are left, now far behind Lee, watching him in a stupor.

"Lee!" Tenten cries out, now racing to catch up. "You're suppose to wait for us, jeez!"

Neji quickly follows as well.

"Moron," he mumbles under his breath.

As they race on, another being realizes his mistake getting caught up in the enemy. Even Kakashi is surprised to see him suddenly turn his gaze from him and back towards the direction Sakura disappeared to. Gaara's sand falls then, the harsh aura of chakra dissipates, and his manic expression falls to almost one of panic. He even sets foot in the direction to follow Lee and his team before Kakashi flashes in front of him with eyes that silently say that he is Gaara's opponent now. Though Kakashi's ultimate goal is far from defeating this enemy today, he does what he can now to save lives. Yet, instead of on him, Gaara's gaze once again falls back and towards his army. And almost as if their eyes are trained on him, Kankuro and Temari are quick to his side, not needing an explanation for what it is Gaara desires.

"We'll get her for you," Temari says before racing forward.

Though he gulps first, Kankuro's gaze is set as well, and he nods in agreement with his sister.

"We won't let you down," he tells Gaara before jumping forward along with Temari.

The redhead turns back to Kakashi, amusement washed away from his gaze, Gaara now looks at his enemy in annoyance. As one prize lingers, another has escaped, and in his mind, as much as he had wanted both, the more valuable one has been stolen away.

"Your enemy is me now," Kakashi taunts him, to draw his attention away from his comrades.

Gaara shakes his head then, releasing the thought of using all of his strength against Kakashi. It'd just be a waste, his sensible mind tells him now.

"No," Gaara says with narrowed eyes, waving his hands to command his grains. "You're just small nuisance."

* * *

Sakura is, at first, flabbergasted by Lee's speed. She can barely hold herself upright against his shoulder as he races on, and the town is far gone from her sweeping eyes within minutes. Though they are still back some, despite their calls to Lee to slow down, his teammates follow relatively close.

"Put me down!" she calls out to Lee. "I can fight! I can help out!"

Despite the limit her body puts her in with her chakra not manifesting properly, Sakura solely believes her strength alone is enough to put up a fight. She can easily use the chaos to her advantage, and is still capable of dodging and throwing bone-breaking hits.

Lee, however, just shakes his head.

"I admire your guts," he comments to Sakura, "but these are orders we must follow. Our goal is to infiltrate and rescue. We engaged the enemy only to distract them. Stopping Gaara here is..."

Sakura narrows her eyes while listening to Lee carefully.

"Is," he repeats. "Is not our objective now."

Though she is aware of his older age now, her confidence in her old teacher makes her speak out.

"Kakashi-sensei can beat him! If you take me back, Kakashi-sensei and I-"

"Lee, we got company following us!"

Sakura is cut off by Tenten then, and braces herself as Lee jumps from the trees towards the ground and skids violently to a halt. Despite the rough landing, his movement is swift and graceful as he twirls Sakura off of him and places her hidden behind a boulder. As they share a quick glance, she can almost see a sympathetic smile on his face.

"Like I said," he is quick to say. "I like that strong backbone of yours, but even Kakashi-sensei is aware of Gaara's strength."

Sakura's eyes narrow again, but not from anger. This time confusion riddles her mind, and she tries to fall back on both Gaara and Kakashi's traits to stack them up in her mind to gauge how well they would fair against each other. Yet, as Lee speaks again, Sakura's eyes and mind follow him instead.

"Wait right here, I'll be back!"

He gives her a reassuring grin before falling back with his comrades.

"Neji," Lee asks as he approaches. "How many?"

"Just two," the man answers back, making Tenten sigh.

"Are they underestimating the three of us, or are we to expect these two are strong enough to take all of us down?"

It is Lee who gives her words of wisdom then.

"Always expect your enemy to be the strongest there is," he tells her. "That way you're always mentally prepared."

Yet, to his phrase, Neji grimaces.

"No, their chakra levels are nothing extraordinary. We shouldn't have a problem unless-"

A gust of wind cuts him off, and the trio watch as the trees in front of them are sliced from the strong current. They jump back, avoiding the powerful winds.

"They're long-range fighters," Neji finishes.

This time, the group scatters as needles shower towards the ground, and they regroup a distance away.

"Lee, take the girl and go. Tenten and I will hold them back," Neji tells Lee.

Yet, his comrade shakes his head. Numbers in their favor, he tells them.

"If we think about it strategically, and what they're after, we'll have the upper hand if they chase after you. So long as they get close, Neji and I should have no problem. It looks like their plan now is trying to draw us to them," Tenten speaks.

As if on cue, another gust trails their way and the three scatter again as the air slices all around them.

"But-!" Lee tries to argue.

"Just go!" Tenten cuts him off, nodding her head behind her. "We're here to rescue the survivors. We don't want to fail now."

As if he knows his comrade's words are convincing enough, Neji instead gives Lee some advice.

"Be mindful of your surroundings."

Lee rushes back then, towards the boulder he left Sakura at. Yet, his face drops as he sneaks a peek at her spot. As he turns to face his comrades, his face is enough to silently tell them something is amiss.

"What?!" they bark in unison, almost annoyed.

"She's gone."

Neji quickly turns his powerful eyes back towards the forest. He spots Sakura with ease but she has ventured far and close behind her is another pair of chakras.

* * *

Sakura isn't naive as she rushes back towards the burning town and cries of men. She knows exactly who wields the attacks against Lee and his team. She is, however, surprised they seek her out more than the group she left behind.

' _Maybe they think me an easier target,_ ' she wonders as she runs. ' _Get rid of me first than the others._ '

As she runs, Kankuro's puppets prove easy enough for her to dodge. Even she is still speedy enough to decipher where his puppet attacks will land, and she dodges them with ease. Yet, though she has yet to attack, it's Temari's range she worries about. Also, Kankuro's poisons would put her in a bad position unless her chakra suddenly decides to obey. Despite all this, she keeps on running. There are two sides of her that want to get to Gaara to either speak with him and understand his mindset, or join up with Kakashi in kicking his ass. As she listens to a rustle of leaves ahead of her, Sakura makes a swift kick towards the tree she senses someone is on. She smirks as the tree rocks slightly from her still powerful kick. Even if her speed isn't quick enough to knock down said person on tree, she hopes her power shown now speaks to them.

" _Stay away, or I will hurt you,_ " Sakura wants them to hear in their mind from her display.

Yet, retaliation comes forth then, and Sakura crosses her arms to shield her face as a powerful gust sweeps past her. She dodges the trees and debris that are rooted up from the powerful winds, and she grounds her feet best she can so as not to get blasted back. Still, harm does come her way, and though small, Sakura still doesn't have a means to fix it now. As the winds pass, she looks down to her bloody arms and legs. Before she has time to inspect her lacerations, a voice suddenly booms above her.

"Boy, they sure are getting pretty desperate. The last Sakura they sent lasted at least a day with us."

Sakura narrows her eyes to the shadow that stands herself tall within the high tree, and though she is darkened by the shadows from the leaves, Sakura recognizes Temari as she rests herself against her fan.

"Isn't that right, Kankuro?"

In another blink, Kankuro is now crouched by his sister on the tree branch and the pair stare down at Sakura.

The man says nothing, but their silhouettes are distracting enough for Sakura as she narrows her eyes angrily towards them. Sakura, then, decides to let her action speak first as she senses another puppet sneaking up behind her. She brings it down with a hard kick of her leg. The wood breaks, painted in the blood of Sakura's leg, and whatever remains of it is swiftly lifted back towards Kankuro. Sakura smirks when she hears Temari click her tongue an annoyance.

"This is taking too damn long!" Temari cries out in rage, spreading her fan wide and showing off the third star.

"Wait!" Kankuro quickly interjects.

Though his voice is hush Sakura can still hear him. Though as of now she cares only for a means to escape this scenario and reach the town.

"Don't hit her with something that hard; it will kill her," Kankuro says, reaching for his sister in the process.

"Huh?!" Temari retorts. "Gaara is just going to kill her anyway. We might as well do the job for him! Besides, I owe her for that punch earlier."

"...You know better than that," Kankuro's voice hushes more. "When he wants something, we have to make sure we get it for him or else..."

Temari sneers at her brother then while Sakura tries to slowly step away while they're distracted.

"Don't tell me you're just trying to save her! You did this with the last one too; she's clearly another fake one! We might as well give her a quick death, or it will be another bloody mess Gaara leaves you to clean up."

"It-It's just that she-uh-she knows-"

Whatever Kankuro has to say is lost as the pair suddenly disperse and jump away within the trees. A clash happens again, hidden within the leaves, and Sakura wastes no time using this chance to step forward towards the village. Though, she is stopped once Kakashi flashes in front of her, his breath heavy and sweat broken out on him. Sakura's instinct then is to help her older friend.

"Are you hurt?!" she asks frantically. "Show me!"

As Kakashi is slow to move, Sakura reaches for him. Yet, he does the same with her in haste, and the rosette cries out in surprise as she is picked up once again and rushed away from the battle. Lee's words from before ring in her mind.

" _Our goal is to infiltrate and rescue._ "

Yet, Sakura's eyes narrow. So far, as she can tell, there were not others in need of saving. Even now, as Kakashi carries her from tree to tree, stopping each enemy that crosses them, Sakura can only see herself heralded around like some prize both teams are after. As Kakashi draws her farther and farther away from the town, away from the enemies, another goal is escaping her then.

"Put me down!" she demands of Kakashi. "I need to speak with Gaara!"

His eyes trail up then, towards Sakura's narrow gaze. He is quiet, studying her, before sliding his eyes back in front of him without another word. The thought of squirming out of his hold, or at least giving him a swift kick to release her, plays in Sakura's mind. Yet, it is then many bodies begin to surround them. The aura of others circles around her and Kakashi, and they all head towards the same goal silently. The army that has come with Kakashi follows him back, and the air is a little lighter, so filled with ease that Sakura half wonders if they were able to do in all of Gaara's army, including Gaara himself. She swallows hard at the thought, realizing that despite her comrades around her, she doesn't have their same mindset of victory.

Sakura decides not to pull away then, instead, she will wait for the right moment to talk, to understand this strange world around her.

' _I have to get a feel all over again,_ ' she thinks miserably, her thoughts falling once more to her friends and family back home.

It even falls to a little boy who was so happy to show her his grin.

"Kakashi-sensei!" a loud cry rings out.

Sakura watches as the caller, Lee, draws near, and she is relieved to see Tenten and Neji behind him, unharmed.

"Lee-kun," Kakashi says, displeasure in voice. "I told you not to engage the enemy. To just bring-"

"It wasn't Lee-san's fault!" Sakura quickly speaks, defending her friend. "I ran off on my own. I told you, I need to speak with Gaara! I don't understand why he is doing this! Don't Konoha and Suna have an alliance together in this world? What is he doing to Fire country?!"

Sakura then isn't sure how to take their silence. Lee, once again, blinks rapidly at the rosette in surprise. Perhaps her words are baffling to him, as if the answers to her questions should be common knowledge. That, or it could be he tries to recognize the face of one who speaks his name so casually. Even Kakashi's gaze slides back to look at Sakura once more, but it returns in front of him as soon as she returns his look.

To their gazes, Sakura bites her inner lip and hangs her head as she glowers towards the passing branches.

' _This world..._ ' she thinks and wonders. ' _What has happened in the past years?!_ '

She picks her head back up, looking back towards the direction she had last seen the redhead.

' _Gaara!_ ' she thinks while grinding her teeth.

It's Kakashi's voice that gives her the only answer he can then.

"Not just our country," he tells her. "This horror is everywhere."

' _Everywhere..._ ' Sakura repeats in her mind. ' _Because of Gaara...?_ '

Sakura's thoughts shift as soon as they come closer towards Konoha. She had imagined, from the numbers, that Kakashi has led all the able ninja he could to that one town, but as she passes the lines of guards after guards that gather around the forest before her village, she realizes there are more people here than the village can contain.

"What?" she asks, eyeing everyone she can. "What is this? Why are there so many here?"

Alliances, she first thinks. They are here to help their brother country. Yet, it's an unsettling sight to see after hearing how hesitant Lee had sounded engaging Gaara and his army. There is enough here to easily stop the group Gaara had led through the town, but instead the majority were left here to protect Konoha.

Sakura eyes what familiar faces she can, even those she knows belong to other villages, before she gasps as they enter her home village. Despite the army out guarding the gates, war has already found Konoha, and Sakura shakes her head in disbelief as she spots the crumbling buildings, and broken streets. It is almost ironic, in her mind, that the first village she passed through in this world, Suna, was broken down and far from rebuilding itself because of Gaara. To what she would learn later, her home would be no different because of that redhead.

Sakura remains speechless as she takes in all around her, she isn't even sure what her first question will be. Kakashi had said it was everywhere, but she had wanted to believe it was still far from her home. She wanted to believe all her friends would have been strong enough to prevent this destruction.

She remains silent still, somewhat in shock, as Kakashi continues to carry her towards the Hokage Rock. The army he has led follows and even though many have called out to him and rushed to his side to ask questions, Sakura has listened to none of Kakashi's answers, instead she delves deeper and deeper into her mind. Doubts resurface in her mind, but along with them, is a determination that she can fix this.

' _I just need to speak with him,_ ' Sakura thinks. ' _I just need to get to Gaara and understand why he is doing this! Remind him that he can still overcome the darkness in his mind!_ '

Something new, as they travel into the mountain, has also come forth within this world that is not her own she realizes. Where it was once a place for hiding, the routes within the mountain have grown longer more numerous. Dim lights hang above them, but as they pass by the many people, Sakura realizes that the people here seek and live within the Hokage Rock instead of outside in the destroyed village. It isn't long before Kakashi stops within an open room, the few people who have followed stopping along with him, before he slowly settles Sakura down onto the cool rock.

Attendants quickly rush towards Kakashi side. Helping him to drink, cleaning his face around the mask, and tending to his wounds; many others attempt the same to the men and women who have returned. It isn't long before Sakura is surrounded as well.

"You poor thing," their voices echo.

"You're alright now."

"Can you tell us where you're from?"

"Any injuries?"

Yet, the voices fall silent as they listen to Kakashi begin to mumble.

"We were far too late," he whispers. "Hundreds and we only bring back one."

There is a storm of support then, everyone telling Kakashi he acted promptly as soon as the intel had come in. They have done all they can, some tell him. One is better than none, others say. Yet, there are the few, the pessimistic side, who agree that this was just probably another trap to draw Kakashi out. To which others state their relief that Kakashi at least returned safely.

"We need our leaders still against that monster," they tell him.

To this commotion, Sakura slowly stands herself, and her gaze is caught instantly by Kakashi as he silently studies her. Despite his fatigue, he rushes towards Sakura then, brushing those aside that still try to tend to her. Despite his intentions earlier, getting her as far away from Gaara as possible, he is rough reaching for Sakura's arm and pulling her hastily away and down the hall towards another room. His crude manner is so surprising to Sakura, that she doesn't pull away right away, instead just eyeing Kakashi skeptically as he turns his almost wide gaze towards her before he opens a door leading to a small room.

"Let's have a little talk now, Sa-ku-ra," he speaks, emphasizing her name.


	41. Chapter 41

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beta'd by [**DistractedStudent**](https://www.fanfiction.net/u/3071144/)

Sakura says nothing at first once the door clicks behind her. Instead, her eyes sway over to another individual who is hunched over a table. A new woman who remains silent while studying the map under her. Kakashi, meanwhile, finds a seat behind a desk. Sakura's mind begins to pick at her reminding her of Kakashi's use of her name.

' _Does he...recognize me?_ ' she wonders.

"The old man lives another day," the other woman suddenly mumbles.

Her voice is a familiar one; Sakura has met this woman before. As she spots the familiar physical features, Sakura is able to finally place a name on her.

' _Kurotsuchi._ '

The Tsuchikage keeps her gaze set on the map below her, studying it carefully, but speaks out still.

"No word from the others up north yet. Maybe we should send some of the underlings up there to assess the situation and report back."

Kakashi sighs to this before saying his piece.

"I've brought company," he says, the underlying words trying to convey to Kurotsuchi to be careful of her choice of words lest secret information spill.

Yet, the woman smirks still with eyes on the table.

"I can see that, old man," she tells Kakashi. "Surely you wouldn't bring an enemy in here now, right?"

Silence follows, and it's enough to make Sakura narrow her eyes and face towards Kakashi's own analytical gaze. It's a reminder, to the rosette, just how lost she has become in this world. The only person she has to fall back on is Gaara, a man who just destroyed a town in her country and murdered innocents; while her friends, like Kakashi in front of her, know nothing of her in this world. She has become a stranger to all those closest to her.

It is at this moment that Kurotsuchi also brings up her head, glancing at Kakashi as well.

"Right?" she asks again before her gaze shifts towards Sakura.

The brunette's eyes shake at the sight of Sakura and she quickly glances back at Kakashi.

"Where did you find this one?" Kurotsuchi asks while striding next to Kakashi, "It's not one of ours."

Sakura's fists clench then. Her confusion at this whole scenario makes her upset; her unanswered questions make her blood boil, and as they speak of her like an object, Sakura no longer holds back her tongue.

"I am not an item," she tells the two leaders. "If you have a question about me then address me for an answer."

Kurotsuchi returns Sakura's angry gaze.

"Then show us your true form," the brunette snaps back. "Let us see who you  _really_ are."

Yet, Kakashi sweeps his hand up, asking the two woman to be silent for the moment.

"Before we get into any discussions, let me tell you something," Kakashi begins with eyes set on Sakura. "There were plenty of men and women who were sacrificed today to save you and bring you here. We weren't able to save any other prisoners but  _you_  today."

Kurotsuchi's face drops at this information and she gasps turning to face Kakashi.

"No way..." she shakes her head. "Just her?! They didn't have any of our men, or even the townsfolk!"

"We were too late," Kakashi whispers, making the brunette's shoulders sag.

Silence rides within the air again, and while Kakashi keeps his straight face on Sakura, Kurotsuchi looks devastated at the loss.

"It was probably a trap to draw us out," she comments before looking up at Sakura. "Or to bring  _her_ here."

Sakura can see that Kakashi takes the brunette's words to mind for a moment. He, too, wonders if he has done exactly what Gaara wanted and sighs again when he finds himself unsure.

"Who are you with?" he finally asks Sakura.

"She's clearly not with us!" Kurotsuchi turns and says towards Kakashi. "If she isn't with us, she is with the enemy!"

Again, Kakashi raises a hand.

"There may be people out there who look for the same end goal as us," he tells her.

"And there are other enemies out there as well! Ones we may have no knowledge about!" she retorts.

Meanwhile, Sakura looks for the answer in her mind. What can she say? Her answers are as baffling just as much as this scenario, and she still wonders what it is they refer to when speaking of her as a fake, or a trap. She bites her lips, scouring her intelligent mind to put more pieces of the puzzle together.

"You're...You're going up against Gaara?" she asks, watching as the two lock their gaze on her. "You're what he calls rebels?"

The two leaders continue to stare. Like Lee, Kurotsuchi's contorting face tells Sakura that she should know all this already. To them, her questions probably make her all the more suspicious. Yet, Kakashi decides to play along, to pretend to take her bait, and nods his head to answer Sakura.

"War has been happening for many years. Gaara leads an army to destroy those who oppose him; rebels, are what he calls them."

Sakura swallows hard then, trying desperately to push the little boy out of her mind. If this Kakashi calls him an enemy then she should be doing the same, she thinks. Right? She has to at this point, for it keeps her grounded and her thoughts far from all that has happened with her and her little friend.

"Why haven't you stopped him?" Sakura asks, her clenched fists now shaking. "His army is small! You have more than enough men here!"

Kurotsuchi tries to share a look of disconcertment with Kakashi, but the silver-haired man only keeps his steady stare set on Sakura.

"His men you saw at the town are only a small portion of the men that follow him."

Sakura's eyes widen at this information and her jaw falls as Kakashi continues.

"South, east, west and now we fight the men he has up North. The world is surrounded by his army."

Kakashi studies the look of disbelief on Sakura's features, trying in his mind to figure out the rosette in front of him.

"Suna...Suna doesn't have that many ninja," Sakura tries to reason.

Kurotsuchi scoffs then.

"Don't play dumb," she tells Sakura. "Everyone knows his followers come from all around. Those that have defected from their villages to join him will pay one day."

Kakashi tilts his head some.

"Likewise, some men and women from Suna, and the Land of Wind, have teamed up with us to put an end to him. Though, I wouldn't put a label on their on home. Suna, and most of the neighboring towns, were destroyed years ago..."

"All our homes were," Kurotsuchi adds in. "We are allied as one. There is no more Suna, Iwa, Kumo or Kiri to go to that we can call our homes."

The woman sighs, finishing in an almost defeated whisper.

"There is barely a Konoha left."

Sakura continues to put up a strong face. Yet, inside her chest her heart is breaking, and she is internally struggling to dismiss a child's happy face as well as the many villages that flourish in her own world.

' _Where had everything gone wrong,_ ' she wonders.

"When?" Sakura begins. "When did this all happen? When did this war start?"

Kurotsuchi sniffs before crossing her arms, but she decides to answer this time.

"Where have you been these past fifteen years?" she first asks, not waiting for an answer. "This all began when Wind declared war against Fire. As allies came forth for both parties, the war spread. The Kazekage eventually lost his mind and even turned against his allies."

' _Rasa did?_ ' Sakura thinks, eyes scouring the floor under her. ' _Rasa began all this? He seemed more level-headed than this. He knew his country could only endure so much. He wouldn't just throw his country into war and make enemies of everyone._ '

"Before we set a plan in motion to take the Kazekage down, Gaara comes in and does it for us. Yet before we can rejoice, he continues his father's war. Where it was the world against him at first, he turned the tides quickly with his army of followers growing and growing until now. Now it almost feels like the world against us."

Kurotsuchi turns her head away, eyes narrowed towards the ground.

"Sometimes it feels like we're just cornered rats now, just biding our time and waiting until the day that bastard decides to show up to our gates."

Yet, despite the woman's words, only one thing, out of the many Kurotsuchi has shared, strikes Sakura as odd.

"Gaara killed his father," the rosette whispers with eyes scanning the floor.

It wasn't that long ago that Sakura had finally understood Rasa's coldness towards his son. He kept his facade for the village and counsel, but made sure that Sakura always stuck by Gaara's side.

" _To protect people from Gaara,_ " he had told Sakura.

In time, she would learn his words meant something else.

" _To protect Gaara from people._ "

' _Rasa,_ ' Sakura thinks then, surprised to feel herself a little upset upon learning of his passing. ' _You idiot, did you not tell him? Why couldn't you just tell that child how you_ _truly_ _felt?_ '

She is upset at Gaara as well, but his explanation may be that he was trying to stop the man from destroying the world like Kakashi and Kurotsuchi explained. She wants to believe Gaara was trying to better a broken situation. Sakura thinks a little more to herself, grateful the two others in the room converse among themselves for a moment.

' _Fifteen years..._ ' Sakura repeats in her mind, eyes lifting back up towards the two.

She does the math quickly and realizes the declaration of war had to have happened around the time she disappeared. The two Kage's do not speak about the attack on Konoha Sakura witnessed in her exam years. In this world, had she existed, this war would have began when she was just a little girl. Rasa had already made claims to her how his village was crumbling, but was he that desperate years ago to strike against the world, or had it been for another reason?

As Sakura thinks of the possibilities for why this all began, she swallows hard and remembers what Rasa told her regarding her taking Gaara to Konoha.

" _If you two are not back by that date then I'll send my men after you and treat this as a kidnapping. Wherever I find you, whether it be Konoha or somewhere else, I'll assume your ties with them and hold them responsible as well._ "

Sakura makes a silent gasp then with wide eyes, and she looks frantically at the two in front of her as her eyes shake.

' _Did Gaara not find his way home?_ ' she wonders. ' _Did he get lost? Did someone find him and take him?_ '

As hard as Sakura is trying to push the little boy out of her mind, he digs his way through her heart and towards her head. There, a picture is painted of that lonely, boy crying while walking through the vast, bare desert just desperate for home.

Desperate for anyone.

Sakura's neck arches up then, and she grinds her teeth to hold back the heat boiling behind her eyes.

' _It_ _isn_ _'t your fault,_ ' she says in her mind lest her tears come from the idea of how heartbroken Gaara must have been at that moment. ' _There was nothing you could do!_ '

Kakashi and Kurotsuchi sense Sakura's change in aura, and watch her carefully as her eyes grow dewy. Sakura notices this as well, and speaks quickly to try and push the young boy out of her mind now. He is gone, after all, she tells herself. The Gaara she knew then is not a child now.

"Why?" Sakura's voice cracks, and she repeats. "Why did Rasa start this war?"

Kakashi's eyes are the same, solid and set solely on the rosette, but Kurotsuchi's eyes widen, almost as if she is being played the fool now, and she shakes her head at Sakura.

"Really?" she asks. "You're walking around looking like you do and ask  _why_?"

The rosette knows then that she is correct in her assumptions. Gaara hadn't made his way home right away, and as their due date came, so too did Rasa's threat.

"Everyone knows your face," Kurotsuchi speaks, though her tone is astonished at what she thinks is Sakura's ignorance. "Your face was sketched on every wanted poster. You were at the top of the list in Suna's bingo book while Gaara was number one in the missing one."

Kurotsuchi scoffs and shrugs as she rambles on.

"I don't think of you as the real Sakura, so I can't ask how you possibly managed to stay hidden for fifteen years. Everyone was looking to end this war as quickly as possible while the Kazekage pointed his finger at every country thinking they were hoarding you and Gaara. You seriously can't just go asking a question like that while deciding to look the way you do."

Before Sakura can say anything, the brunette turns her pink gaze towards Kakashi and narrows her eyes.

"She's  _clearly_  a trap set up for us! This has to be Gaara's doing! He wants us to think she is the real one, she's probably some spy!"

Kakashi is quiet for the moment as he takes in his colleagues words, but eventually sighs and rubs his temple slightly while staring at Sakura's confused eyes.

"The relationship you and Gaara shared was no secret. You were his caregiver for a while when he was younger, and we used your disappearance as an opportunity against Gaara when he unveiled himself and when rumors spread that he was seeking out information for your whereabouts. Every so often we were able to slip an assassin disguised as you to him. After a few attempts, it seems almost silly that we thought we could get away with the idea more than once. Then again, maybe it was his sole intention to kill you upon finding you."

Kurotsuchi nods to this before adding in their defense.

"We were desperate for anything to work. And now..."

Kurotsuchi stops her words, instead taking the moment to travel her eyes up and down Sakura, thinking silently to herself.

"And now," Kakashi speaks for her, "the tables are turned. Now we're the ones given a Sakura."

The room falls silent, both parties waiting for the other to say what comes next. It'll be a few seconds longer before Kakashi gives another sigh and speaks.

"So, I ask you,  _Sakura_...Who sent you? Are you from another party we aren't aware of? Are there others out there who have just come up with the same plan we used to have, or are you with Gaara? Feel free to show us your real face anytime."

He says that last part while leaning back on his seat. His nonchalant attitude suddenly unnerves Sakura. She can't find the source why, but annoyance strikes her. She isn't sure if it's becomes of all she has just learned, or because it is Kakashi's fault this is all happening in the first place. She wouldn't be in this mess had he just sent the scroll another way. Gaara, meanwhile, leads a bloody war that threatens her friends, yet she feels for him in the sense that he has lost his way. The little boy she loved is now gone, and his enemies have used her face to get close enough to him to strike him down. She is mad at Gaara and she is mad at her Konoha family. This world is far from her own, much much too far… Over all that, she wonders where Naruto's words to Gaara have disappeared to. Have they yet to come, or were they just cast aside? Could Naruto not find it in his heart to teach Gaara his errors like she had tried her best to do? So, instead of an answer for Kakashi, there is a question.

"Where is Naruto?"

She sees a reaction that surprises her. Kakashi shuffles in his seat, and Kurotsuchi bites her lips and digs her nails into her crossed arms. For Sakura, their reactions are frightening.

"Tell me," Sakura begins again slowly, "Where is-?"

"You're part of Gaara's army, aren't you?!" Kurotsuchi suddenly cries out.

Sakura says nothing, still in shock that Naruto's whereabouts are not a quick answer. The brunette storms in front of Sakura then, making the rosette narrow her eyes at the woman in return.

"Aren't you?!" Kurotsuchi screams in her face. "Because of your leader there are only a few of my people left! Because of your leader my home is gone! Because of your leader my Grandfather sacrificed himself for nothing! Because of Gaara Naruto is-!"

Kakashi appears besides them suddenly, trying to push the brunette back with his words.

"Enough, Kurotsuchi-kun," he tells her with steady eyes. "Tsuchikage's sacrifice will not be in vain. We'll make sure we use the opportunity he gave us then to win this war."

It is the brunette's soft tears that make Sakura be the first to step back, and she watches quietly as Kurotsuchi turns to open the door that leads out of the room. Before storming away, she speaks to Kakashi one more time.

"Interrogate her. Wring her of everything she knows. If not for this war then for Naruto at least."

Nothing is replied, and Kurotsuchi waits no longer, slamming the door behind her leaving Sakura and Kakashi alone. The rosette wastes no time on lingering thoughts, instead she turns her angry eyes swiftly towards Kakashi.

"This is all  _your_  fault..." she practically hisses, though she knows the culprit she wants is of her time.

Kakashi seems taken off-guard for the moment, for his eyes widen at Sakura's angry accusation. Yet, his solid gaze does eventually return, and he studies Sakura quietly and with a nonchalant face that hides his wonders and questions. Sakura, of course, recognizes this. It's her teacher's old way of getting those he wants to say more without him speaking a word while analyzing their voice and emotions.

Instead of falling for his quiet tricks, she bites her lip. What good would it be now to reveal the truth to him, she wonders. He thinks her more of enemy now than an ally, and she isn't sure if appearing crazy in front of him would help her cause. Still, there is a part of her that looks at this older man and thinks of him as her old teacher. A lifelong friend. The world may be different around her, but her mind tunes in on those physical traits and falls back to her own world.

Kakashi is a friend. Gaara is a friend. There is no war, and Naruto is never too far away from her.

"Have you ever heard of a scroll that sends people back in time?" she whispers, eyes turning back up towards Kakashi.

He says nothing, but his silence is answer enough. Besides, the item in question has been gone in this world, taken by her, by the time Kakashi ever settled within the Hokage's office.

' _If he ever made it there..._ ' her mind tells her.

The questions pile on with what she has learned. If war happened so long ago, what had ended Sandaime? When would it of happened? Was Tsunade ever called, or was Kakashi pushed into the role so that they quickly had someone to guide them? Then again, with villages in ruin, who was to say Kages were still a part of this world. Gaara certainly didn't call himself one, and it seemed there was him and his army occupying this world while those who oppose him took up the other parts of it. They once had homes, but Konoha held them all now.

You were either a rebel or with Gaara in this world, it seemed.

"If such a power existed, I doubt we'd be standing here right now having this conversation."

The irony of his words is felt by Sakura. Kakashi gives her his answer, and Sakura tries to see the lie of what he says in his eyes. He has to know, she thinks. But she hears the truth in his words, for she continuously wondered why it was Kakashi, in her world, who had sent her off with such a powerful thing to hand over to Gaara. She knows this Kakashi has every reason to keep secrets from her, but she is certain an opportunity to change the past would have been a goal if it meant ending this long war.

The scroll is long gone, whether lost in a void or still in the desert Sakura is uncertain of. It hits her hard then that she is back to square one, no idea how to return to her own world despite time fixing itself.

"I am Sakura," Sakura suddenly tells Kakashi. "The real one."

Kakashi's stoic gaze goes unmoved, she knows he thinks her a liar now, but listens to her continue.

"Fifteen years ago, I was in Konoha," she begins to tell him a tale he finds old, but with her happened only a few days ago. "You approached me back then."

Sakura sweeps a hand slowly down her long hair.

"My hair was black, and I asked you where I could find Kizashi and Mebuki Haruno."

She can see a flash of recognition in Kakashi's eyes. He remembers the scenario, but Sakura also wonders what good will there be with her telling Kakashi this. No doubt, as he mentioned he had sent assassins after Gaara looking like her, that a lot of her past with the child has been learned.

' _They all probably know his mother's song._ '

Before anything else can be said, the door leading to the room suddenly swings open. Kurotsuchi appears once more, but her aura is now frantic.

"Kakashi, we need you right now!"

The silver-haired man rushes by Sakura, but grabs her as he does so. The rosette knows better than to think she would be given an opportunity to escape or wander alone within the mountain. They pile once more into an open room, with many men and women that Sakura had seen fighting against Gaara's army in the town. One of them in particular stands out as he is anxious and frantic reaching and clawing at his back.

"Get it off of me," he anxiously whispers, a cold sweat breaking down his head. "Hurry and get it off of me!"

Despite his request, no one steps forward to answer his plight. It'll be a few seconds of pleading before one of the medics moves towards him. Something is there on the man's back, something Sakura cannot see. Yet, as the medic makes a reach for it, Kakashi swings his arm and hollers.

"Stop! Get away from him!"

It's almost as if Kakashi's voice is the spark needed for the horror that finally unfolds. A blade of sand is embedded in the man's back, and at Kakashi's cry the blade explodes into many grains, wrapping themselves quickly and tightly around the poor victim. His screams only last a few seconds before the sand creates a familiar scene that Sakura had once witnessed. As the man is crushed and ripped by the grains, Sakura pictures the brunette who succumbed to the same fate not too long ago.

' _Annaisha..._ ' she thinks, watching along with everyone as the man's dead body falls forward.

Surprisingly, it's Sakura who springs forward. In her heart she always has hope that she can save a life still. Yet, Kakashi catches her quick by the arm.

"Don't," he tells her, and as if he recognizes her motive, adds, "He's already gone."

Sakura grimaces, though she would like to make that call herself, she stands back instead and watches as Kakashi slowly kneels down towards the man's body. Within the lifeless grains is a small note planted on the man's back with the blade made of sand. Gaara, Sakura learns then, uses Kakashi's own men as messengers it seems. After all, the eyes that look on now seem to be familiar with this scenario.

Kakashi kneels down to the man, bowing and asking pardon before he picks up the note and reads the few words on it.

'Give her to me,' it reads.

Kurotsuchi is quick to look over Kakashi's shoulder, and she shakes her head before whispering to Kakashi.

"He  _has_  to be doing this to make it more real. He's trying to fool us into falling for his scheme."

Kakashi folds the note and stuffs it gently into his pocket.

"What if it's not? She's a valuable asset now."

The brunette narrows her eyes at the man, confused by his logic.

"How so?" she asks. "He is just going to kill her like the others."

"I'm certain of that," Kakashi agrees before pushing himself off the floor,"but, let's say this isn't a trick of his. If he is as desperate getting her as it looks, then I'd say we just earned an interesting bargaining chip."

Kurotsuchi's pink gaze widens, she understands now and looks towards Sakura who is watching her and Kakashi in return.

"You think we can do a trade-off, our men that are held prisoner for her?"

Kakashi says nothing, quiet as he thinks thoroughly in his mind.

"That, but we do have to keep in mind the possibility this indeed  _is_ all a trick of his."

Kurotsuchi sighs, rubbing her temple lightly.

"Now what? We can hand her over to the interrogation team. They'd be able to look into her mind...Though, it will take some time. Days," she says. "Depends if he's done anything with her."

"And Gaara doesn't seem like he has the patience to wait that long," Kakashi finishes, thinking back on the note.

Kurotsuchi opens her mouth to speak, but stops as soon as she watches Sakura approach the two.

"You're talking about me," Sakura speaks, annoyed that she is cast aside in a discussion she is usually a part of.

Looking from the dead body, to the sand, and back to Kakashi's pocket and face, she comes to the conclusion.

"He's asking for me, isn't he," the rosette asks.

Yet, she isn't given a verbal answer, just long stares. Still, their eyes are enough to give Sakura her answer.

"Let me go see him then," Sakura decides then.

Kakashi raises an eyebrow, surprised by Sakura's words.

"You want to be ripped apart too?" Kurotsuchi scoffs.

Sakura shakes her head.

"No," she tells the two straight-forward. "I want to talk to Gaara. I need to know why he is doing this. I want to talk some sense back into him before any more damage is done."

Surprised by her answer, the two leaders share a brief glance at one another. Yet, a dilemma also begins brewing in Kakashi's mind. Letting Sakura go would guarantee safety from the rosette and Gaara. If a spy, his easiest route would be to send her where she had come from or kill her. Yet, if she is as important to Gaara as Gaara portrays it, Kakashi isn't sure what hell the young redheaded man would bring if they dispose of Sakura. That's only saying Sakura truly is someone of interest to Gaara; in which case, to not use her as a leverage against Gaara now would be a wasted opportunity.

Yet, as Kakashi thinks harder on which direction to approach first, an idea comes to mind.

"Sakura," Kakashi begins. "Are you hurt at all? We should get you looked at by our medical team."

Sakura narrows her eyes at Kakashi's nonchalant approach while Kurotsuchi scoffs.

"Seriously, old man?" she asks. "You're treating a prisoner?"

Yet, Kakashi says nothing, and instead strolls by Sakura and takes her arm. This time, the rosette pulls back.

"Stop grabbing me," she tells Kakashi, still skeptical of what he is planning now.

She stands her ground, her mind set on what she needs to do next.

"I don't care how you use me, but I need to speak with Gaara.  _Now_ ," she tells him.

However, Kakashi has a more interesting plan. One that may help him in deciding what comes next for Sakura's fate.

"Are you sure you don't want to get looked at first, Sakura?" he asks again. "We actually have a pretty strong medical group on our side. I can even bring you to one of our best."

Sakura says nothing, instead letting her angry eyes speak for herself.

"Let's go give her a quick hello before we let you go. After all, she'll probably be happy to see you after all these years."


	42. Chapter 42

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beta'd by [**DistractedStudent**](https://www.fanfiction.net/u/3071144/)

Curiosity killed the cat.

This was Sakura's first thought as she blindly followed Kakashi deeper into the mountain. Along with the wonders of who it was he spoke of, an old friend of hers he had said, Sakura's mind was still set on Gaara.

' _I need to talk to him,_ ' repeated over and over in her head.

Though he knows nothing of her, even threatens her with plans of interrogation, Sakura follows Kakashi through the halls. Perhaps she simply follows Kakashi for sake of familiarity in this chaotic world. In a way, he is no different from the Gaara of this world-her best interests are looked after by no other than herself.

' _At least I_ _still_ _have a little bit of a past with Gaara than Kakashi_ _in this world_ _,_ ' Sakura's mind tells her.

Yet, to those thoughts she quickly shakes her head. Her heart wants to sympathize with the boy she held hands with, but her mind is quick to remind her that the boy she knew is long gone with Gaara's declaration of war against all around him as well as the bloodshed of those who refuse him. She still needs to take the time to sync her heart and emotions with the information she has learned, and the logic that what Gaara does now is not justified.

Falling back to the man in front of her, Sakura knows she also follows for another reason. Gently, she places a hand to her chest, feeling her chakra. Again, she tries to draw it out, but there is only a flicker to the hand she calls it to before it abandons her call. To this, she sighs. Never in her field of work has she come across something like this without reason.

' _Maybe from trauma,_ ' she thinks.

Yet, if she is honest with herself, the stress of this situation has yet to sink in. There is so much on her mind now, yet all she can think about is accomplishing her next task of speaking with Gaara. Still, with a medical team perhaps she can get some sort of pill that can help rejuvenate her body. Maybe it just needs a little kick-start to start working again.

As they finally reach another door, Sakura takes a breath in and holds it for a moment-only releasing it when she hears the knob click. When the wooden frame opens, Kakashi holds it open and gestures for Sakura to enter first. The rosette strides in slowly and only stops when her eyes fall on the two other people within the room.

Curiosity killed the cat.

...But satisfaction brought it back.

Sakura's eyes widen to the woman in front of her who sits casually at the table with another brunette woman as they drink tea. Sakura's jaw falls as well, and she can't help it, even the tears well up in her eyes for more reasons than one. Meanwhile, the person who has stolen the rosette's focus entirely scans Sakura up and down before grimacing towards Kakashi who closes the door behind him.

"No, no, no" she shakes her head while speaking to Kakashi and Sakura. "If you're planning to do this little stunt again, you have to make her look at least ten years older. This is how she looked when I met her fifteen years ago."

The room falls silent as Sakura races towards the woman.

"Chiyo-baasama!" Sakura cries before arms wrap tightly around the old woman.

' _She's still alive in this world!_ ' Sakura thinks happily.

Even if in the back of her mind Sakura remembers that this Chiyo and herself did not share the close bond they did in her own world, like Gaara here, they have a past, and she is happy to see the old woman live still without her sacrifice.

No one says a thing for some time, they just watch Sakura hold the old woman with silent tears. And with time, Chiyo places a hand on Sakura's back. Those who watch are unsure if she does this because the feelings of reunion are mutual, or if she does this to calm the woman hugging her some. The old lady's sagging face is stoic, unmoved as she looks past Sakura's shoulder.

' _Does this mean Gaara was never attacked by Akatsuki? There was never_ _a_ _need for a sacrifice?_ '

Questions arise again, but as Sakura sniffs back her tears she instead whispers to the woman with a shaky voice.

"What's happened to Gaara? Why did he turn out like this?"

It is then the old woman grasps Sakura's shoulders and gently pushes her away from the embrace. The two lock eyes for a moment before Sakura wipes her tears. As she does this, Chiyo turns to Kakashi, a question in her gaze. Before she asks, Kakashi answers for her.

"She says she is the real Sakura. I thought maybe you would be able-"

"I'll do what I can. No promises though," Chiyo cuts Kakashi off.

The two don't turn their eyes, and it is Chiyo who nods Kakashi towards the door.

"You can go now," she tells him.

Instead, Kakashi steps forward.

"With all due respect, Chiyo-baasama, I believe I should remain present until-"

Chiyo's face scowls then.

"Ha?" she asks Kakashi. "You think I'm too old to handle someone? Go play politics with that other loud woman and leave the medics to their job. I'll have someone fetch you when I'm done here."

Kakashi sighs at Chiyo's loud voice, but does seem to trust her power enough to turn and head back to his office.

"I leave her to you then," Kakashi says with a wave of his hand.

Yet, he does stop short of shutting the door behind him and steals a glance at Sakura one more time.

"We'll have another chat when you're done here," Kakashi says before shutting the door.

Sakura, meanwhile, stares silently in the direction Kakashi has exited. For her, this Kakashi seems just a little different from the one she is familiar with.

' _Perhaps war has change_ _d_ _him..._ ' Sakura thinks. ' _Or maybe...this is just how he'_ _s always_ _treated those he thought an enemy._ '

Sakura's thoughts vanish when she feels Chiyo pluck her cheek to pinch and pull at her skin.

"O-Ow," Sakura hisses, pulling away from the old woman's fingers. "What was that for?"

She turns to look back at Chiyo and stills herself as Chiyo presses a finger past Sakura's pink hair and against the seal on Sakura's forehead.

"You really do have ties with that slug-woman, don't you?" Chiyo murmurs. "You still keep up the same appearance you had years ago."

Sakura steps back from Chiyo's hand, and takes a moment to look at how much older Chiyo looks. She uses a cane now to hold herself up, and has shrunken quite a bit with a small hunch to her back. Still, despite the appearance, Sakura can't help herself from smiling at seeing Chiyo alive.

' _Is this what she was suppose_ _d_ _to look like if she had lived?_ '

Yet, as that thought occurs, the idea that Naruto's words had not reached this old lady come to mind. Though, as she is here now, maybe Chiyo had learned to put trust into others she refused to do so before.

"You're...not with Gaara?"

To Sakura's question, Chiyo raises an eyebrow. She watches as Sakura's smile falls quickly to a disappointing frown, and the young woman even looks towards the floor while rubbing her arm.

"Kakashi-sen-," Sakura begins before shaking her head to her error. "Kakashi told me what Gaara has become. What he does now..."

Chiyo's eyes move to Sakura's hand as it clutches the skin of her arm suddenly.

"This wasn't suppose to happen," Sakura murmurs. "This wasn't supposed to be his future."

The rosette's eyes narrow towards the ground next to her.

"Everything...everything now seems wrong. I don't even know what could have happened."

Silence follows, and as it lingers, Sakura realizes she must be careful now with her confusing words. As much as she is lost to all around her, she will make those close to her just as bewildered if she doesn't keep herself strong. She remembers that she is there as a prisoner, someone who had disappeared from everyone for all these years. There will be a lot more convincing needed for Chiyo before she begins her plight.

"Please, believe me," Sakura asks the old woman. "I really am the same Sakura from all those years ago."

Chiyo stares hard into Sakura's eyes, the pair quiet. Chiyo suddenly sniffs with a shrug before speaking,

"Alright. I believe you."

Sakura's jaw drops as her mind tries to register this.

' _Maybe not that much convincing after all..._ ' she thinks.

Still, she nods at the old woman.

"Thank you," Sakura whispers to her.

Sakura owes this old woman so much more now, for she has helped her in both worlds. Gently, Sakura slides down to sit on the table while Chiyo turns to the other woman in the room.

"A favor dear, can you look and fetch  _him_  for me? These old bones won't get me far," Chiyo speaks.

"Hai!" the brunette beams, smiling at the old woman and clasping her fingers upwards together.

Though Sakura listens, she is not interested in the conversation between the two, and asks nothing once she hears the girl agree before leaving her and Chiyo. It is only when the other party leaves that a stillness hits the air, and Sakura stares down at the floor deep in thought with Chiyo watching her. Yet, the question Sakura was sure to come to eventually rises from the deep waters of silence.

"What were you planning to do with Gaara? Where did you two go?" Chiyo asks.

Sakura shakes her head quickly.

"Nowhere," she tells Chiyo. "We were returning to Suna back then, and we...I..." Sakura's voice falters and she bites her lip hard.

There is nothing wrong with revealing the truth to Chiyo, Sakura thinks. It is the same with everyone else who would ask her this question; she should hide nothing. Yet, her logical side wavers against this. A part of her is thinking that the consequence for speaking the truth will have her marked as a mad woman. With a mad mind comes the doubtful figures who will forever question what truth really is for her.

"I..." Sakura begins before swallowing hard. "I ran."

To mask her falsity, her eyes look towards Chiyo with an unwavering gaze.

"Rasa kept me prisoner there to watch over Gaara. There was no more opportune time to run than then," Sakura adds.

Chiyo just sucks on her cheek at this news.

"And you just left the boy behind?" the old woman asks.

Sakura narrows her eyes and drops them. Her heart aches at the moment as images fall back to Gaara all alone in desert, and what she tells Chiyo conflicts with what her heart is saying.

' _No,_ ' she wants to say. ' _I would never leave him behind. I loved Gaara._ '

Chiyo, too, seems to notice Sakura's apprehension and hones in on the only way she can now.

"You defended that boy against every bad saying that crossed your ears. Yet, alone, you had no problem turning your back on him?"

The old woman shakes Sakura's emotions. An old tactic that can rock anyone to speak against their own lies. It is one of many reasons shinobi are trained to cast aside their feelings, and while Sakura knows it is something she can overcome with ease, Chiyo's questions make her want to cry out.

' _No!_ ' she wants to say. ' _I would never turn my back on Gaara. I had no choice, I wasn't given a moment to explain or say goodbye._ '

As the rosette thinks this, she bites the inside of her lips hard and fights to keep her tongue down. With a deep breath, she is able to answer Chiyo.

"I cared for Gaara, but I was not happy in that village knowing I had chains keeping me there. As much as I wanted to bring him with me, I wanted to avoid the consequences that would come if I did. So, I left Gaara without his knowledge. I didn't want him to follow me or go where I went. I left him in a place I was sure he would be able to find his way back home."

Her narrowed gaze goes up again to look at Chiyo and she grips hard against the table she is resting against.

"I loved that little boy so much," Sakura confesses then. "I did what I thought best, and wanted to believe his future was going to be a different outcome than  _this_."

Sakura practically spits that last word, but with Chiyo's long stare and silence, Sakura lowers her gaze and says nothing more.

"I see," Chiyo speaks, presumably accepting Sakura's answer as the truth. "Where did you go then? Why did you not try to inform the Kazekage the whereabouts of Gaara and the Ichibi? If Gaara was found this war wouldn't have grown to what it is today."

Sakura shakes her head while closing her eyes, though her emotions are truthfully placed, this lie that is growing is starting to irk her the more she drags it on.

"Because by then even I knew nothing would stop Rasa until Gaara was found. At that point, I didn't know where Gaara had gone. It seems we both decided to choose a path with our faces hidden."

After her words, Sakura slowly opens her eyes and blinks a few times to the floor. Her curious mind does wander then.

' _Gaara,_ ' she thinks. ' _Where did you go? How did you survive?_ '

"Why keep your appearance like that?" Chiyo asks then, curious. "If you weren't wanting to be found, you should have at least changed yourself, or at least allow your age to show. Instead you choose to look  _exactly_ like the posters from back then. Foolish woman."

To Chiyo's small speech of appearance, Sakura chuckles somewhat before pressing her hand against her chest.

"This is just how I look," she tells Chiyo. "I couldn't even transform right now if I wanted."

Sakura looks up just in time to see Chiyo raise an eyebrow to Sakura's confusing words. For the rosette, she let's out a deep sigh before letting her face become all the more serious then.

"My chakra, it isn't responding to me," Sakura says.

It's like a medic side to the two is suddenly switched on, and Sakura pulls her shirt down a little to allow Chiyo to press her own hand against Sakura's chest.

"It's there..." Chiyo mumbles, looking back up at Sakura.

Sakura nods before speaking.

"It is, but I can't draw it out. It's like...it's just stuck."

"Tired?" Chiyo asks. "Stressed?"

Sakura gives her a glare-her look is silently asking the old woman,

' _You do realize what kind of day I've had today?_ '

Instead, Sakura says something else.

"Even if I was, it's never done anything like this. I mean...have  _you_  ever seen anything like this?"

Chiyo sighs as well, bringing her hand back.

"Never," she says. "It's like a force in your body is stopping your chakra...or maybe?"

Sakura's eyes widen as Chiyo brushes her bangs to the side, and brings her eyes close to inspect her forehead.

"Or maybe…?" Sakura asks, trying to usher the woman to finish her words.

Chiyo instead stays silent, staring at Sakura's seal for some time before stepping back and staring at the rosette hard.

"The seal on your forehead, it's vibrant color looks a little faded."

Sakura's eyes widen then, and she quickly reaches for the glass cup on the table before inspecting the seal herself. As she does this, Chiyo finishes what she was saying before.

"Your chakra levels are slowly depleting."

Sakura grimaces at that idea. She feels her strong power still; if what Chiyo proposes is true, would her chakra not be near depleted at this point. Would she not feel the fatigue and wear of her energy being drained? Not to mention, that doesn't mean she wouldn't be able to call forth what she has now. Something is still blocking her. Her seal, as well, looks as vibrant as ever in her eyes. Yet, Chiyo is someone who Sakura respects, and she will keep all that the woman has told her now to mind.

"If my chakra is draining on its own why is the process slow?" Sakura asks.

Chiyo shrugs, as if the answer should be obvious.

"Think of it like poison," Chiyo begins. "The less the target notices, side-effects and all, the longer it takes the target to notice until eventually it is too late to save the person. Perhaps, it's even being absorbed by another somehow."

Chiyo's words suddenly shake Sakura and she worries somewhat that this possibility could be true.

"Please, Chiyo-baasama," Sakura asks while removing her shirt, taking quick action now. "Will you transfer me some of your chakra? Just to be on the safe side."

"Aa," the woman quickly answers, and approaches Sakura's back.

As Chiyo goes around, she is already forming seals, yet, at the sight of Sakura's skin the woman falters to a stop.

"Sakura," Chiyo speaks, inspecting the sight on Sakura's skin. "Has there always been this seal on your back?"

Sakura's back shoots up straight to that news, and she even tries to twist her head to catch a glimpse of what Chiyo speaks. Though silent, Sakura's actions speak to Chiyo.

"I didn't think so..." the old woman murmurs. "This looks very strange. I'm sure this has something to do with your chakra."

Sakura's eyes widen, and she is silent for the moment while trying to think back on a time she may have had something like this on her. She can feel Chiyo trace a circle around her back, and she gets sense of how big the mark on her is.

"I've never seen anything like this before..." Chiyo mumbles. "We're you recently in a fight? Did somebody do this to you without your knowledge?"

Sakura scans her mind, only recalling her recent altercation in the destroyed town. Even then, her chakra before that wasn't responding. Had the scroll done something to her, she wonders. Was there something more to this new world that she was just learning, and how long exactly had she had this seal?

"It glows a dim blue color," Chiyo comments more on it. "Try using your chakra."

Sakura does exactly that, and tries to focus her chakra once more towards her hand. Yet, like before, there is just a spark of the power she wants before it is gone.

"The seal grows more brightly when you try to use your chakra."

Sakura says nothing, instead she narrows her eyes at this info before quietly feeling the power that remains stuck in her. Chiyo has suggested that something may be absorbing her chakra, but she still feels very little difference. Not to mention, if the seal is on her would it just not just be sealing the chakra within her?

"You said you've never seen a seal like this before?" Sakura asks.

Chiyo comes around to face Sakura and slowly shakes her head.

"Nn," she comments. "And I'm familiar with seals."

Sakura is quiet.

"Sakura," Chiyo calls quietly to her, earning back her attention. "You're a medic. I don't think I need to remind you what will happen if something is stealing your chakra."

Sakura is quick to shake her head.

"Nn," she replies.

Yet, her mind says more.

' _I will not die,_ ' she tells herself. ' _Not here. Not in this world._ '

She is trying her best to keep her composure. Everything is happening so quickly, so drastically, in this new world, that a part of Sakura wonders if she truly is absorbing all that is being thrown at her. Sakura brings up three fingers up, and speaks to them in her mind.

' _I still need to find a way home,_ ' Sakura tells herself, folding one finger in as she does this. ' _There is a seal on my back that may be slowly killing me, I need to have the seal broken._ '

Another finger falls, and as Sakura thinks of her third task, she chews on her lip some.

' _I need to speak and stop Gaara!_ '

As her final finger folds in, she grips her hand hard into a fist. What was once one turbulent task, two more have fallen into her lap. Even if there is an option to forsake Gaara and this world, and instead return to her own home where the seal in her back can become examined by expertise who won't treat her as a prisoner, the idea of doing such weighs heavy in heart.

The little boy's bright smile is too big in her mind, and she is sure it can be the same if she just speaks to the redhead. Her friends here as well, though treat her differently are so rundown and worn. This wasn't the future she had hoped for them, there was suppose to be peace within the nations now. Though she doesn't put the blame on herself, a simple mistake in the past had led to this, and she wants to fix it.

For everyone she loves.

The question for Sakura is...What next?

Finding a way home will take time. Having others look over her will keep her chained in this place since Kakashi would probably not let her out of his sight. As this thought occurs to Sakura, she looks around the rocky, medical room, and realizes no better opportune time to ask for help out of here will come any sooner than now.

The drive to end this fighting as soon as possible pushes Sakura to a decision.

"Please, Chiyo-baasama," Sakura begins again, eyes determined. "Help me escape from here. I need to speak with Gaara!"

Chiyo's eyes widen in surprise, aghast at the request.

"Foolish woman," Chiyo whispers towards Sakura. "He would kill you the second he recognizes you!"

Yet, Sakura shakes her head, undeterred by Chiyo's warning.

"I need to speak with him! I'll speak some sense back into him. He knows right from wrong he-"

"He's not the child he once was, Sakura," Chiyo cuts her off. "He's a grown man now. He no longer needs someone to tell him what he is doing is wrong. He chooses this path, he chose to harbor the Shukaku's darkness."

Still, Sakura is determined her words can breakthrough to him.

"No," she tells Chiyo. "I just...need to talk to him. To understand why he does this."

Chiyo sighs and even tilts her head some in exhaustion.

"I understand, Sakura," Chiyo tells her. "I understand how you're feeling right now, and what you think you can do. I once approached Gaara as well. I looked past his malice eyes to find the child who once cried in my arms for his mother."

To those words, Sakura looks back up at Chiyo with a slack jaw and round eyes. Her heart sinks as she watches Chiyo shake her head slowly.

"That little boy you knew is long gone, Sakura," Chiyo whispers. "I realized then that the man I had tried to reason with was one who had accepted the demon within him. That child you seek out is gone..."

Those words are like a stab to Sakura's heart, and before she can stop herself, she cries out with shut eyes towards the ground.

"You're wrong! That isn't Gaara at all!"

Sakura gasps once she realizes how loud her small outburst was, and slowly looks back up towards Chiyo who only stares at her in silence. The rosette can feel her heart racing, for the eyes she looks at now are ones she is accustom to. She once had people all around her tell her to give up on the man she loved. Sasuke has rejected light and welcomed the darkness in his heart, many would say to her.

"Give up."

"Just let him go."

"Help us to take him down."

"He is gone from redemption."

"He will never be the same person he once was to you."

Words of the past echo again in her ears, and she grinds her teeth to all the lies they all once were. If she could help save Sasuke from becoming a monster, she  _would_  do the same for Gaara. No one would convince her otherwise.

"Please…" Sakura begins again. "Help me escape from here. I need to speak with Gaara."

Chiyo sighs again.

"You'd be walking towards a battle you cannot win," Chiyo says before eyeing the door skeptically behind her. "Those of us who have ties with Suna are already looked upon with suspicion."

Sakura grips the table again as Chiyo's words sink in. It is true that she doesn't want Chiyo to experience the consequences to come, but the idea does not falter her drive in the slightest.

"Say I managed to escape on my own. They know nothing about me, you could even say I put you under genjutsu."

Chiyo is silent, and she let's her back sink for a moment while contemplating Sakura's word. With the room quiet, Sakura takes the moment to put her shirt back on, filled with the thought that nothing will stop her now. For her, she thinks she is tackling the easiest part on her list first.

As time passes, Chiyo eventually speaks with closed eyes.

"I watched, years ago, as a monster raced for your hand. Once he had it, you were the one not to let go of him."

Chiyo's eyes open then and the faintest of smirks graces her sagging face.

"I had a suspicion this was the direction you were wanting to take next," Chiyo adds.

As if her words are a cue, a small knock emits from the door before the threshold finally opens. To the movement, Sakura's heart races. She worries Chiyo has forsaken her plea and somehow summoned Kakashi. Yet, if the small smirk says anything to Sakura, it's that the old woman already knew this outcome was to be and had planned ahead.

As a tall, tan figure steps into the room, Sakura is pretty sure this familiar face solidifies Chiyo's accord in helping her.

"Your assistant summoned me, Chiyo-baasama," the figure says.

The tall man looks towards the old woman, and Sakura can't help her grin as she recalls the older man's name.

"Baki-san!"

The man's eyes widen to the call of his name. As he turns to face Sakura, those dark eyes of his only grow more round with a dropped jaw. He is shocked for the moment to say anything, but does so eventually with his eyes on Sakura still.

"Another one?" he asks Chiyo.

"The  _real_ one," Chiyo explains.

Baki's skin flushes, as if he has seen a ghost, and his eyes go back and forth towards the old woman and the rosette.

"What? Real one?!" he asks, surprised. "What do you mean?!"

Chiyo shrugs, as if the ordeal is nonchalant, despite her approach to first seeing Sakura.

"I mean she is Sakura. The real one," Chiyo answers him before she casually strolls towards the door.

Baki's jaw is still dropped, and his eyes are stuck toward Sakura as the rosette slowly approaches him.

"You-you look no different..." Baki murmurs.

Sakura shrugs to this, and even offers Baki a sympathetic smile.

"I age well, you could say," she comments.

Silence follows as the pair lock eyes. She is sure the questions that came from Chiyo also swim in this man's head. He also followed Rasa closely, and Sakura has a suspicion there's a hint of defeat in him seeing her now instead of finding her before this war had escalated. Inside of her, and she is sure Baki feels it as well, there is a connection between the two not through Gaara, Suna, or Chiyo, but through a brunette long gone.

Yet, between them, her name remains unspoken.

"I did not steal Gaara," Sakura tells Baki then, hoping to brush away whatever hate this man has for her. "Never, would I have wanted all of  _this_  to happen."

Yet, as she remembers him to be, Baki is impassive as ever to her words.

"The mission to find you was cast aside ages ago. Our new objective has been finding a way to stop Gaara."

I hold no grudge against you, is what Sakura hears under Baki's words. She's grateful to him then, to Chiyo as well, but can't help herself as a sad frown appears.

' _Gaara has gone so astray,_ ' she thinks, ' _that e_ _ven his old teacher would rather join his enemies than him._ '

It is the same in Chiyo's case as well, Sakura thinks. There is a little sadness in her to see two of the closest people to Gaara stand here now instead of beside him. Not because she thinks their place is with Gaara and the bloodbath he brings, but because their presence here speaks to her in a different way.

" _Gaara is bad,_ " is the message she keeps hearing. " _Really, really bad. We would forsake him and instead take him down._ "

"If Chiyo-baasama can find it within her to forgive and trust you, I shall do the same," Baki adds.

His words are enough to make Sakura smile, for his familiarity in following others still shines. He is always one to follow, it seems.

"Thank you," Sakura mouths to him.

The duo turn as Chiyo clears her throat, drawing their attention towards her.

"Baki," Chiyo speaks. "I need your help in sneaking Sakura out of here and back to where Gaara was last seen. Without being detected by Kakashi or anyone else."

"Aa," Baki affirms.

Yet, not a second passes before his eyes widen to what he has agreed to do. From Sakura's grin to Chiyo's soft smirk, Baki's round eyes go back and forth once more.

"Wait," he asks again. "What?!"

Yet, the two let their smiles speak before Baki faces Sakura sully.

"You do realize the dangers of doing so? He will think you a trick and attack."

Despite the many warnings, Sakura is still sure that she can reach the redhead with old words.

"I'll be alright," she tells Baki. "I've got it all figured out."

Baki still looks uncertain.

"I'm not so sure if..." he begins, but is cut off as Chiyo gives her final say and ushers the pair to begin their mission.

"Just go and take her," Chiyo says with a wave of her hand. "If she is brave enough to face a monster alone, while we hide as an army, she may be the only one of us who has the guts to take on Gaara."


	43. Chapter 43

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beta'd by [**DistractedStudent**](https://www.fanfiction.net/u/3071144/)

Sakura felt as if her choice was already condemning Baki to prosecution. Kakashi's army was huge; even if she concealed herself in a cloak, the calls of others were heard as he and Sakura ran from the mountain, from Konoha, and away from the parade of men who guarded the gates.

"Baki, where are you off to?!"

His reply had to be simplistic and quick, for he and Sakura did not stop.

"Mission!" he would call to them, his steps treading on.

"Just you two? Now?!" they would call back. "The enemy may be out there still!"

Not a word returned, Baki and Sakura just raced on. They pushed themselves farther away from Konoha, and the men who would soon no doubt ask Kakashi what mission he decided to send Baki on. From that point, the truth would come crumbling down. Thinking of this, Sakura worries for the man next to her.

"Tell them it was genjutsu," Sakura tells Baki, trying to think of plausible options to give the man.

She is grateful for his help and does not wish for him to be persecuted anymore than Chiyo had mentioned those from Suna already are.

"Tell them I offered you your men in return or-"

"Do not worry for my sake, Sakura," Baki tells her instead. "It's yours I'm more worried about now."

At that warning, Sakura simply grimaces. She has no fear approaching Gaara, but as more and more people tell her that this line of thinking is wrong on her part, she wonders exactly what is in store for her.

' _Damn it,_ ' she thinks as she turns a gaze back to the forest in front of her. ' _What could have happened to make you this way, Gaara?_ '

She is convinced he will not hurt her. He probably has questions of his own and needs assurance from her again like his younger self. As she races, even if she knows she is running to a man now older than her, the little boy is all that comes to mind when she thinks of Gaara.

"Right here should be alright," Baki says with a sudden stop.

Sakura nods an agreement, making sure no one is witness to her and Baki except the tall forestry around them. She wraps her arms around Baki's neck as he kneels for her to climb onto his back. As soon as he readjusts both her and him, he leaps into the trees. The speed and progress then becomes a swift change.

"I'm sorry for this," Sakura tells Baki through his leaps. "Chiyo-baasama and I aren't quite sure what's happening to my chakra right now."

Baki nods to show he has heard the woman before adding his insight.

"Be wary, Sakura," he says with an eye peeking back to the rosette. "I wouldn't approach Gaara revealing something like that."

Sakura shakes her head this time.

"I know," she agrees. "I can still do some damage without my chakra."

She narrows her eyes ahead of her.

"Besides, I have no interest in fighting Gaara. I just want to speak with him, to convince him what he is doing now is all wrong."

She knows Baki's line of thinking falls to the same as Chiyo. That her determination and actions now will be meaningless against Gaara. In a way, for Sakura, it reflects on the past. She had walked around the village holding hands with Gaara while trying to convince everyone around him that all he needed was teaching and friends to rely on. Now, she does the same by trying to convince everyone that she can get Gaara to stop his army while they all tell her otherwise.

' _There is good in him,_ ' she thinks.

Words she told him and others in his past and words she would tell now. His future was suppose to be so much greater than this. She had started his steps down the right path, and praised him with sayings she knew his older self to be. She is the one not in the wrong here, she thinks.

' _I can fix this,_ ' she believes. ' _That good in Gaara is in there._ '

Again, she falls back to the small boy and all their interactions and exchange of words. Though everything had happened just days prior, there is some distance in her heart remembering the little boy is truly gone. The more she recollects, the more times she sighs. Yet, as her and Baki travel, an instance pops in her mind, and her eyes actually widen that she didn't recollect this earlier with Chiyo.

"Baki-san, your team was able to apprehend Sasori all those years ago?" she asks.

Baki raises an eyebrow as he glances back at Sakura. He is quiet for a moment, and Sakura wonders what it is she has said to make him look at her like that.

' _Ah,_ _damn it_ _!_ ' she thinks when she realizes the name she has used.

Throughout that whole ordeal in the past, Baki had referred to Sasori as  _a person of interest._

"W-wait! she fumbles with her words. "I mean...Um...uh..."

She is at a lost since she has no idea how to correct herself now. However, in time, Baki turns his eyes back ahead of him, and chooses to disregard Sakura's knowledge.

"The mission was a success," he tells her. "Thanks to the antidote you and Chiyo came up with, we were able to gain the upper hand. Unfortunately, capture was not possible. Sasori was killed in battle."

Sakura nods her head slowly. It seems Sasori's fate had not changed so much drastically than from her own world. As Baki chooses to continue to speak, Sakura is surprised at what she hears.

"Before his death, he spoke a bit of the organization he was with."

Though she can't see, Baki narrows his eyes as he tries to recollect that time in the past. Sakura does this as well as she remembers the name.

' _Akatsuki,_ ' she thinks with wonder.

"I can't recall if he did this as recompense towards Chiyo-baasama, or if he viewed it as some sort of prize to us for defeating him. He called them Akatsuki."

The wonder in Sakura's mind grows, and she leans a little closer to Baki to make herself easier heard.

"What of them? Did Sasori give any details explaining the organization and their purpose?" Sakura asks.

She feigns ignorance, but only so she can learn the fate of the group in this world. It strikes her interest now seeing as Shukaku is still within Gaara. Was an attempt still made on Gaara in this world for Shukaku, or does the group still seek out the moment to strike within this war? Perhaps, with his army beside him, those that come for Gaara, including Akatsuki, have fallen to his many men.

"What details Sasori had to give were handed over to Rasa. At the time, he did put a team together to learn more about the group, but his main focus was of course on finding Gaara and you," Baki explains. "As time went on, the weight of the focus on finding Gaara perhaps clouded Rasa to other enemies around him, including Akatsuki."

"So, then..." Sakura begins. "You're saying Suna made no attempt figuring out Akatsuki."

Baki nods.

"Whatever Sasori spoke of, whether true or not, seems no longer a threat now after all these years. The last I spoke with anyone about Akatuski was over ten years ago."

To this information, Sakura swallows again as she questions the world around her.

"Is Akatsuki still out there?" she wonders. "Sasori was killed, but what of the others. Is Itachi still alive? Is Obito still leading that group?"

Sakura opens her mouth to ask Baki more, but quickly stops once her body senses another presence.

"Baki," she speaks, about to warn him.

"Ee," he whispers back to her. "I know."

Able to sense more than her, Baki turns an eye behind him. His actions make Sakura listen to the area around her while trying to establish her next action.

"It's just one," Baki tells her.

His speed never falters, but his voice falls silent for a few moments before telling her more.

"It might be Gaara," he whispers.

The young woman's eyes widen in surprise.

"How can you tell?" she asks Baki.

"I'm familiar with his chakra from his younger years," he tells Sakura. "I'm familiar with all three of Yondaime's children. I spent quite some time with them."

It's almost too perfect, Sakura thinks. Even though she wasn't sure Gaara and his army were even still be around the general area, here Gaara approaches them. Alone, nonetheless. There is time to speak between them without the hollers of an army, and the threat of a blade around her neck.

"Drop me off here then," Sakura tells Baki. "I'll speak with him here. Thank you, Baki-san."

Still, despite her words and the plan, Baki finds himself conflicted.

"I should stay with you," he whispers. "If he tries anything I can at least be here."

Baki jumps back to the ground and turns to face Sakura as soon as she hops off of his back. He is surprised to meet her soft smile, and with a simple shake of her head, she rejects his offer.

"If he has the decency to meet me alone than I think him and I have the same mindset right now. There's a lot him and I need to discuss. We both need answers."

Both their heads turn as the figure lingers back, hidden in the trees. Sakura and Baki don't hide the fact that they notice Gaara, as they are sure he is aware just the same that they know of his presence.

"I don't want him to feel threatened or speak to me cautiously just because you're around."

To Sakura's words, the man nods in understanding. Baki, it seems, may be the easiest going man Sakura has had the pleasure of getting to know. Mentally, she makes notes to maybe spend more time with Baki next time she is in Suna and back in her world. That doesn't stop him from voicing his opinion however.

"This is a dangerous plan, Sakura," he warns her once again. "Whatever mutual understanding you two share, if any, I don't find it convincing you'll return to us anytime soon."

Another grateful smile on her part and it grows as she brings a fist up to show her arm muscle off.

"Don't worry about me. I dealt with his sand years ago, a few grains don't bother me," she tells him.

In time, she nods towards Baki who still looks out towards the enemy in the trees.

"Thank you for your concern. Tell Chiyo-baasama thank you as well."

As Sakura speaks these words, her smile falls some and she looks towards the ground in thought before looking back towards the tall man.

"It's been quite an adventure for me, and I'm glad you and Chiyo have been a part of it."

Baki's eyes widen for a brief moment before another nod from him.

"The way you speak now is like a goodbye," as he says this, his eyes turn towards the trees again. "This isn't goodbye, Sakura."

Sakura smiles when his gaze returns to her.

"Chiyo-baasama and I will anxiously wait for your return."

"Thank you so much, Baki-san," Sakura whispers.

As she does this, Baki leaps back into the trees. His eyes tread to the side of him, and it is a clue to Sakura to where Gaara hides now. She watches as Baki's eyes slide and linger to an area, and in her mind she wonders if the two now share a glance.

' _Teacher and student,_ ' Sakura had once thought of the two.

In her world that was Gaara and Baki's relation. If she remembered right, that relationship had deepened as she knew Baki played in important role in Suna with Gaara as an adviser. In her world, the redheaded man turned to Baki for guidance. In this world, they are enemies. Their mindsets and end goals so different from one another where they would be ready to strike the other down without question. These thoughts dishearten Sakura, and she wonders what the two think as their eyes meet. She even wonders if their gaze will spark a sudden fight between the two. She is relieved to see Baki move on without interruption, and even lets out a breath she was holding.

As her transit disappears, Gaara quickly drops from the trees.

A distance away, Sakura knows he doesn't hide his presence as neither does she, but wonders why his approach is so far. He is shadowed by the many leaves above, and Sakura squints hard to try to catch a familiar physical trait of his. The only indication that this is Gaara is the shadow of his messy hair, and Baki's word that the chakra is familiar.

Sakura takes a slow step in his direction but stops when she sees his silhouette take a step back.

' _He's being cautious._ _Why?_ ' Sakura's thinks.

She wonders for a moment before reminding herself that her thinking is wrong. She wants nothing but to approach him the same way she approached his younger self. With trust and friendship between them, Sakura literally would embrace the boy as he welcomed her with open arms. Actions that had happened to her less than a day before. Her mind struggles with this drastic transition, but she has to remember where she held Gaara yesterday, it has been fifteen years for him. His silhouette of an older man should be evidence enough to her of that.

' _They used my face to send people to kill him..._ ' she also remembers with a hard frown.

It may not be right for her think, she knows, but a part of her is happy that Gaara was able to sense the fake Sakuras. An even more heartbreaking thought for her would be hearing Gaara was killed by someone he believed in the end was her.

' _I'd never hurt you,_ ' Sakura thinks as she stares at the shadow.

She realizes she has been silent for minutes, him as well, as she lost herself to her thoughts. Where to even begin, she wonders. As she continues to stare at his still figure, her heart races and she shuffles on her feet for a moment with anxiety building up inside of her. She wants to rekindle that friendship they share, but also tries to remember that he had just murdered a town, and torn many others apart through this war his leads. Her mind is fighting with what her heart wants versus Gaara's disappointing actions.

' _A fake..._ ' she remembers in her mind.

She was believed to be a work of someone else, and told that Gaara would maybe view her as one too. Perhaps convincing him who she really was would be a good start.

"Gaara," she calls his name.

Her voice wasn't as loud as she had hoped, but as the young man moves a little in his spot, Sakura is certain he has heard her.

"Gaara," she calls again. "You remember me, don't you?"

She waits on him, but instead of a voice there is only light movements in his body and the sway of his hair against the small, forest breeze that sweeps by every so often. He is silent, but Sakura finds his actions justified. He has a right to not want to speak with her. She was taken away without choice, but the consequence of abandonment is still the same. She feels she owes him an apology for not giving him his goodbye and accepts his muteness for now.

"It's me, Sakura," she says.

She shows him the faintest of smiles, to show him that she means well for the moment.

"I heard you've met with a few with my same face," she says as her smile falls. "I guess they used my appearance to get close to you… To kill you."

The idea of such shakes her again. She is grateful that she is here now with Gaara instead of leaving this world without even a goodbye.

"But..." she whispers to the ground at first.

As happy as she is with this chance, meeting the little boy she took care of, the scenario around her is still dark. There is still a killer in front of her, who uses his power to seize her home and destroy her friends' lives. The future here is all wrong, but she won't blame herself for this nor is she ready to blame it entirely on Gaara. She is determined to fix this mistake as the only mutual between Gaara and Konoha. She brings those eyes of resolve to look up at Gaara's silhouette.

"But, please..." she bites her lip before calling out to him. "Believe me! I'm the real Sakura!"

She places a hand on her chest then to emphasize her genuineness. She also takes a careful step forward. She thinks her movement is a mistake as Gaara's head tilts to look at her small step, but retracts that thought as the shadow of his head picks back up to look at her. He stays still, and allows the gap between them to shorten by that one step.

He shows her just the faintest of trusts, maybe even believing her words, that a rush of emotions suddenly race through Sakura that make her mouth rush along with them.

"I'm sorry!" she tells him. "I'm so, so sorry!"

Her apology makes her eyes heat up. The story of the little boy lost in the desert tears at her heart again. Worst, she worries someone with ill-intent may have snatched young Gaara up. Whatever truths she hopes to learn from him, the ideas that stick now make her eyes water.

"I know this is hard to believe, I probably wouldn't even believe it if I heard it myself..." as she says this another step is taken.

His silhouette doesn't move. The shadow of his head keeps his gaze with hers, her steps to draw in closer don't faze him.

"I was forced to leave you there. If I had a choice I would have never left you all those years ago right then. I'm so sorry I left you without even saying goodbye."

Another step. Sakura makes the movements to close the gap, and Gaara does his part staying still and allowing her closer and closer.

"I would fix it if I could," she tells him, "but there's nothing I can do but ask you to forgive me."

Her tears break the wall of her strong will, but she does nothing to wipe them away or hide them. Instead, she watches Gaara, still waiting for him to speak. His muteness is justified, she still believes as minutes roll in silence, but it stings at her heart now as she pours out her apology. To the unknown, how Gaara is viewing her now is painful. Is he silent because he scoffs in his mind at her apology? She wonders if his silence is a mock to her tears. Yet, despite the doubts, she presses on. She has to convince him.

She  _has_  to fix the wrongs in this world.

"Please," she asks now. "I just want to talk to you. I want to know why you're doing all of this. This war, these killings..."

Her arms stretch to emphasize what she means.

"This isn't you, Gaara," she tells him with a hard stare. "The little boy I know would never have wanted all of this. You were so set on making friends, at everyone looking up to you. You were so kind to me. We were both so happy...What made you change…?"

She waits on him again, her wet eyes widening just a little as his silhouette shuffles in his spot. Like her, he takes a small step forward before his shadow gazes back up at her. Minutes pass, and Sakura shakes her head slowly as he again chooses to leave her questions unanswered.

Is she expecting too much, she wonders. For him, fifteen years have passed, and Sakura tries to remember the little boy in him has become a young man with a mindset that has changed. Yet, for her, she is growing frustrated at his silence. Again, she worries how this man looks at her now. She almost wonders that, if she were to run back to Konoha now if he would just simply let her.

' _No,_ ' she thinks. ' _You can't go back empty-handed this time. You have to get your answers!_ '

She takes one last step and presses her hand against her heart.

"Despite everything around me, everything I have heard, I still want to believe in the good that I know is in you," she is telling him now. "I want to hear your side of the story. I want to know what made you this way."

Her shoulders sag when Gaara still stays silent to her. Yet, her wet stare on him never falters even if she feels defeated. What more can she say, she wonders. If she can't convince him to speak, then what more can he get out of her. As she asks herself these questions, she tries to put herself in his shoes. If she had been a little girl, with Gaara looking after and taking care of her, what would she want to hear after fifteen years without him?

The answer to that comes surprisingly fast, and she blinks rapidly as she searches in her soul. Gaara has turned into a killer, an enemy of her home, yet the little boy she loves has to still be in him, and despite the tragedy around her, she realizes she has no dispute in her telling Gaara what she would want to hear if she were him now.

"It's been fifteen years..." she tells him before swallowing hard. "But…But, just know. I still love you as much as the day I first told you I did."

Yesterday for her, she finds that she indeed still loves that little boy. How could she not, for they cared for one another for so long. Yet, fifteen years for him, Sakura wonders if he can even recall that moment between them that she speaks about. She watches as his shadow shuffles again on his feet, obviously affected by her words.

"Gaara," she calls to him, earning back his gaze set in her direction. "I love you."

Her heart races as he stares at her for a moment. Silence again, but not even a minute passes before Gaara lifts his arms up. Her eyes widen to this act, his silhouette inviting her for an embrace. Her mouth goes agape at his invitation, and she almost wants to cry again as she spots that little boy once more reaching up to her for a hug.

"Gaara," she whispers, before accepting his offer and racing towards him.

She can see that little boy desperate for her affection again, and it blinds her to being cautious and wary. Yet, if he is willing to let his guard down to her approach then Sakura will do the same to his invitation. After all, all she can think about is how much Gaara has probably been wanting to hug her again.

By the time she recognizes his head of red hair, her tears have broken through.

"I'm so sorry, Gaara!" she cries as she leaps for him and wraps her arms around his neck. "I'm so sorry I left you behind!"

His arms wrap tightly around her waist as Sakura buries her head into his shoulder. Yet, it is that brief second that she realizes she has fallen for a trap. Her eyes widen and she gasps at the hard, wooden feel of Gaara's frame and limbs. As she tries to push and back away, she can feel Gaara's grip almost suffocating her and he continues to tighten his arms and body around her. Once she finally takes a moment to gaze up at his face, her eyes widen and face flushes.

The odd looking face she stares at had once probably replicated Gaara's own, but the skin of the face now cracks and falls into small parts, revealing something inhuman underneath. As the frame twists and limbs tighten and move around her, a snapping noise echoes from the figure. She stares at its teal orbs before meeting her own reflection at the glass eyes that threaten to fall out of the wooden sockets.

"A puppet!" Sakura seethes.

As if to emphasize on her words, the puppet's crooked teeth suddenly chatter. Before Sakura can place a name on the culprit she knows is behind this, she quickly musters her strength to break the puppet's hold around her. To her flexing and raw strength, the puppet's arms begin to bend and break as it tries to hold Sakura against it. Within a split second, as one of its limbs cracks under the pressure, its mouth opens wide.

Sakura narrows her eyes at this and her gaze unconditionally looks up to its open mouth. She takes in a gasp as a cloud of gas is suddenly released into her face. As the cloud envelops both her and puppet, Sakura squirms one last time with the puppets arm finally breaking from the body and falling towards the ground. She rushes back then, away from the puppet, and away from the cloud.

Sakura is quick to take in a breath of fresh air, but stiffens as the scent of gas still lingers within her nostrils, and the odd, chemical taste is potent on her lips.

' _Damn it!_ ' she thinks, before the world around her begins to tilt and wobble.

Her eyes try to scan, her senses still are on the lookout for the puppet, and she tries once again to bring forth her chakra to eliminate whatever resides in her body now.

' _It's not a poison..._ ' her mind is able to analyze.

The world spins more, her weight grows heavy and head light before she realizes her body has already hit the ground. Despite her knowledge on toxins and drugging, she tries her damnedest to convince her body to fight whatever is inside of her now. Even as her eyes grow heavy, and she feels the grass now sweep against the side of her head, she struggles to stay awake and coherent.

Her eyes sweep up as she spots the shadow of a real man suddenly approach her. Even if the leaves keep his face shadowed while he draws ever closer to her, his works now give Sakura the knowledge to know his name.

"Kankuro..." she whispers, unsure if she has even spoken.

The man just pauses, staring down at her in silence.

"Please, help me."

Again, she is unsure if she has made a sound. She is taken by the effects of the gas, and her mind forgets to view Kankuro now as the enemy than a comrade. Yet, as she closes her eyes, her mind tells her then that it matters no longer. Just sleep.

Kankuro kneels to her unconscious frame and checks her pulse. As soon as a minute passes, the young man gently hoists Sakura into his arms and takes a moment to stare at her sleeping face. His frown is heavy as he takes in her features.

"You don't look any different," Kankuro whispers to Sakura.

His eyes narrow, yet the longer he stares, he finally makes one more claim to her sleeping form before racing through the trees.

"I believe you, Sakaasan."


	44. Chapter 44

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beta'd by [**DistractedStudent**](https://www.fanfiction.net/u/3071144/)
> 
> Personally, I don't like to place warnings in my story/chapters. I think the idea is a bit spoiler-ish. Plus, ideas I have now may get scratched out later. That all said, this will probably be the only warning I give; this story will have darker/mature moments, and I'm not going to post when those warnings will happen or in what chapters. Just keep in mind the rating and genre of the story follows through until the very end.
> 
> This is probably the only discretion of mine you'll get in this story.

There it is again.

A familiar sound for her but one she had thought to end long ago.

"Don't cry, Gaara," Sakura can hear her voice say.

Yet, as she takes a moment, thinks real hard on it, she can remember the darkness around her is something uncanny. The weeping she is hearing now is a mistake, her mind tells her. Gaara is older now, she remembers.

' _Perhaps these tears belong to another,_ ' she ponders.

Another child.

With the same tears.

In this darkness.

...That's not right.

No, she needs to find the light switch, she thinks. No, she needs to get out of this emptiness, she remembers.

No.

She needs to wake up!

To that last thought her body and mind do exactly just that. Like a jolt, she shoots her back straight up from the cushioned bed and gasps loudly. Her body regrets that shot of breath as soon a she is thrown into a loud, fit of coughing. Her eyes scour the room, and sure enough, she can spot the old furniture and windows around her caked in dirt and filth. Even the bed she sits on, as she clutches the fabric under her, feels torn and grainy from years of neglect.

' _Where am I?_ ' she wonders through her coughs, body struggling for a clean breath.

In an instant, the circumstances leading up to this point flash through her mind. She had fallen for a trap, the enemy has gotten a hold of her; she is now in unknown territory where they have the upper hand. Yet, despite all this, Sakura still grinds her teeth and remembers what it was she had wanted to achieve.

"Gaara!" she hisses.

She quickly throws the covers off of her, the dust once again cascading down her like a shower before she sprints to the door. Before she takes a hold of the knob, however, she pauses as her racing heart begins to slow. Instead, she gently presses an ear against the door frame and tries to sense any presence whatsoever.

She closes her eyes to heighten her other senses, but even with time can hear nothing but the stillness of the building she is in now.

"Where am I?" she whispers, turning from the door to look back into the room she is currently in.

It's like the air wants to choke her again as she stares at the old bed, dressers and furniture within the room. Sakura has to stifle her cough as she stares at everything coated in dust. The room is well furnished, but it's evident by the state of everything that this room has been abandoned for years. The bedroom is vast in size, with another door leading into a washroom, and the furniture looks like it belonged once to someone well off.

Yet, what catches Sakura's attention the most is the décor of everything around her. She is only aware of one country that styles their homes in a style such as this. Her eyes narrow. That would mean she had been out for days. She quickly shakes her head before power walking towards one of the giant windows in her room.

Sakura sees nothing through the dirty glass but quickly works her way with the foreign window to pry it open. As she pushes the window forward to open the glass frames, she is hit with a wave of humidity. Her eyes grow and grow as she takes a step back to stare at the vast change in climate she has been thrown into.

"This is..."

In front of her is nothing but green jungle. In the distance, she can spot a mountain lavish and lush, and the cry of wild animals can be heard in the far distance. As she stares farther out, she realizes the room she is in is high up. The building she is in is like a mansion.

Dawn begins to breakthrough the tall mountain, and it begins to show off a mist that coats the ground.

At the sight of it all, Sakura clenches her fist.

"I'm somewhere in Water Country," she realizes then, wondering once again how she could be out for so long for them to bring her here.

In the end, it matters not where she is but only who she is with, and the enemy mocks her once more by leaving her alone. Though high, Sakura is able to descend from the window of her room down to other frames. As she climbs her way down, she takes the time to peek into room after room. Yet, like the one she woke up in, the windows are covered in filth, and what little she sees tells her nothing except that this home is abandoned.

As soon as her feet hit the ground, she takes a moment to step back and look at the mansion in front of her. Like the interior, the exterior is dirty with broken debris all around. With an ocean behind it, the jungle that faces the home has begun inching its vines closer over the years with a threat to take over the home.

Given different circumstances, and with the home being maintained better, Sakura may actually have take the time to goggle at its uniqueness. Instead, she turns her back towards it hoping never to return.

Quickly, she races towards the back at the home. As dirt becomes sand, her eyes scout for a boat. Finding none, she instead looks out at the far, giant, blue ocean. She gulps when she realizes the water seems forever around her. Perhaps, there was no reason to tie her up for this very reason. She recollects in her mind the many islands in Water Country, and narrows her eyes angrily at the probability of her being on one small island.

She tries to reach out to her chakra, and even presses a foot down onto the cool water in hopes of standing on it. Yet, as the water sinks her foot in, she gives an annoying click of her tongue.

"Damn it," she whispers before turning back towards the home, past it, and into the jungle instead.

She runs unsure if she will find friend or foe, but where civilization is is the chance that a boat exists. It is what she needs now, she decides. Time passes as she races through the thick green, kicking up wet dirt and chasing away shy animals whose paths she crosses. Yet, with time to settle in her mind, her senses heighten, and it doesn't take her long before she realizes she is being followed in the trees once again.

Yet, she feels no threat, and carries on for some time in silence. However, as time passes and she finds herself hitting no sign of life, or dead ends that lead to the ocean, her frustration grows. Soon enough, her pursuer hears the anger boiling within her as she aims a punch to the tree he settles in.

"Bastard!" she calls to him, watching him leap away from the shaking tree she had just hit.

As he settles onto another tree, Sakura turns to race through the forest once again. However, her feet slow to a defeated stop when she is once again faced with sand and ocean. Her attempts at every direction are beginning to damper her soul, and she just stands there while staring out at the vast ocean.

Yet, even though she is defeated for now, she knows she'll think of another way. Hell, she'll make her own boat with the materials in the home if she has to.

As soon as she feels his presence once again behind her, Sakura rethinks that thought. Obviously,  _he_  would have a boat. It didn't take her long to recognize his aura, yet she has a hostile attitude towards him knowing all that he has probably done, and what he had done to her earlier. She turns her angry eyes towards the tree he hides in.

"You don't have to follow me," she calls out to him. "I'm not planning on going anywhere until I speak with Gaara anyway."

She quickly grows bored as his reply is silence. Yet, before she can turn away, it seems he too finds the absurdity in chasing Sakura when she has no means to escape. Perhaps, curiosity is what led him to follow; to see where she goes, or what she will do. Not to mention, as he knows, the animals here are not always so kind.

Nonetheless, he can see why his approach is met with her angry eyes. So, instead of keeping his distance, he jumps from the tree to the ground below. He lingers behind her some, giving Sakura her space. As he looks up at her, the rosette is actually surprised to be met with a soft smile from him.

A lot of things surprise her with his appearance actually. Though his black clothes are relatively familiar, the purple that typically dons his face is now gone. Yet, that could just be because the circumstance now led him to forsake it for the moment. It actually appears as though he carries no weapons or scrolls, more evidence to her that he followed her with not-so-hostile intent. In the end, she stares mostly at his biggest, different, physical trait; his one glass eye.

Despite her surprise, she keeps her facial features nonchalant. She is still upset at what he has done to her, and says nothing to him. She doesn't return his smile, and instead turns her head away from him to stare back at the ocean. In her mind, she is wondering exactly how far the next island is.

"Sakaasan..."

Her eyes widen a little to Kankuro's call, but she keeps her head steady towards the ocean in front of her. Like Gaara, despite the man behind her, her thoughts suddenly fall to the shy brunette boy who was the first of his siblings to reach out to Gaara. He embraced her with hugs and laughter, and warmed her heart during troubled times in Suna. In the end, she is unable to ignore him like she had wanted and instead turns her distressed features to face him.

Despite her look, Kankuro's smile seems to grow as she responds to his call.

"Y...You're the first to remember that name."

Perhaps, despite the sadness in her features, he can see the recollection of that name she has in her eyes. Maybe her turn to him from his call is assurance enough for him. Whatever reason, despite her silence, his smile seems to only grow until it turns into a giddy grin.

"I...hated that name," Sakura finally reveals.

Her blunt words make the young man's eyes round, and his smile falls shamefully fast. They stare at another again, Kankuro waiting on Sakura to say more, yet the young woman doesn't know if she owes anything to him right now. What innocent lives has he taken alongside with his brother, she wonders. Not to mention, there is a part of her that blames big brother now for letting little brother turn out like this.

At her departure, Sakura was leaving Gaara with so many, including Kankuro, that she was sure in her heart he would continue to help Gaara transform into the man she knew in her world. Then, maybe that's her own fault. Maybe she was relying too much on others. Her own fault thinking those who had done so in her world would do the same here. At that thought, and her long stare on Kankuro's glass eye, a little of that blame and anger dissipates from her.

"I was never meant to replace your mother," she tells Kankuro. "I just wanted to be a friend to you and your siblings."

Sakura can see the hurt in Kankuro's eyes from Sakura's words, and he even sighs while brushing the back of his head while tearing his gaze away from her.

"You already have a mother," Sakura continues. "She clearly loved you all."

Kankuro's eyes pick up back to Sakura's emerald gaze, and he studies her momentarily.

"She wrote you all a song," Sakura adds.

Kankuro straightens his back, another sigh escapes him and he closes his eyes for a moment.

"Aa," he says, forcing the small smile to return. "You just...You know...We...I was young."

Not an excuse, but reason he gives to Sakura. She can understand a little of what he is saying.

"Fifteen years, you were always Sakaasan in my mind. It may just take some time for me..."

Sakura grimaces. In the end, perhaps it doesn't really matter what he calls her. Yet, his words make her wonder just exactly how long that "time" he speaks of will be. She doesn't necessarily owe him time at all. She would rather like to end this as soon as possible before finding a way back home. If she thinks about it, perhaps he is playing with her. Toying the idea that she is the real Sakura just to lead her astray. After all, there were many assassins they said with her face, why does the brunette now not ask anything and just conclude that she is the real one?

"I need to speak with Gaara," she tells Kankuro.

Kankuro's eyes fall then, and he swallows hard while staring at the ground. Eventually, he nods.

"Yeah..." he almost whispers. "He'll be here soon."

Kankuro offers up another smile, and at this, Sakura narrows her eyes. There is something about his speech, his presentation, that strikes her odd. This Kankuro seems held back, timid, and unsure of himself. She had seen his child self act in just the same manner, and she wonders why he is so different here compared to the one in her world.

' _Perhaps the people he was suppose to meet never showed up in this world,_ ' she wonders.

Maybe he was going to make friends that boosted his confidence and made his speech more resolute. Perhaps war had taken those people from him, or her presence had stopped him from reaching out to others. To those thoughts, Sakura grimaces again while her eyes scan the sand at her feet.

' _I didn't do anything wrong..._ ' she continues to tell herself. ' _I showed a little boy love. I showed three lonely children to rely on_ _one_ _another. How could that be wrong?_ '

Her eyes furrow the harder she thinks.

' _I_ _didn't help to raise murderers!_ '

"Is it true?"

Kankuro's voice breaks her line of thinking, and he continues as her eyes go back up towards him.

"That you still love Gaara?"

Sakura's eyes widen briefly, but if she recalls the conversation, it was true she claimed that before running into the arms of Kankuro's puppet. Kankuro had heard her divulge of words, and without her answer just lets his smile grow.

"I...I think Gaara will be so happy when he hears that."

Sakura studies Kankuro some more, her mind trying to figure out the man in front of her. He is older than her now, threatened her life with harsh words before he knew who she was. Yet now...his demeanor is different, and his smile comes much too easily. It's as if…

' _...he is still a child,_ ' Sakura thinks.

The psychological aspect of what's happening in front of her finally shines, and she almost gawks at him for a moment before trying to shake away the dismal thought of it all.

"Why…?" she finally manages to ask.

Her soft question is heard, and Kankuro stares at her again with a tilt of his head.

"Why?" she asks again, her lips quivering after. "Why are you doing this?!"

Her cry makes his eyes widen.

"Why is  _he_  doing this?!"

Questions she was saving for Gaara suddenly spill, and she can feel the heat in her eyes return. Kankuro was the most willing when he was young, he pushed Sakura into letting him meet the little brother everyone told him to hate. He had actually listened to her when she said they would share the closest bond as brothers. Where had Kankuro gone wrong with Gaara? She was not here to stop this spiral of madness, but surely Kankuro should have…

"Ah Sakaasan! Don't cry!" Kankuro cries.

She _really_  hates that name.

Sakura picks her head up as she senses the man now approaching her fast. Even if she takes a step back from him, his forwardness still met with hostility, he notices none of it. Instead, he pulls out a cloth from his pocket, offering it to Sakura.

"Take it," he says. "It's clean, I promise."

From the black fabric to his face, Sakura's tears do not break, they linger on the corners of her eyes. Instead, she takes a moment to stare more into his shiny, glass eye. Glass that reflects nothing but an image of her tired self. Along with the glass eyes comes a deep scar similar to Kakashi's. The bags under his eyes tell her he is worn, at least for the moment, and the small wrinkles that begin to show on him tells her he has been in a world of stress.

Her gaze shifts from his glass eyes to his real one. There she can read his emotion, and his goodwill towards her now.

"Here," he says while taking her hand and forcing the cloth into her palm. "You can keep it."

As he takes a step back, Sakura catches a glimpse of his sympathetic smile. It is enough to make her suddenly lax, and she nods at him before stuffing the cloth away and brushing the wetness from her eyes.

"Thank you," she whispers.

Kankuro nods, smile growing.

"Of course, if there's anything you need. You just let me know."

Sakura's lips curl back, and she feels guilty for treating Kankuro badly thus far. Whether an enemy or not, whether his actions these past years have been as atrocious as Gaara's own, Sakura owes him the benefit of the doubt. For the little boy she knew him to be, friends she called him, she owes him an explanation and is willing to listen to his story until she judges him. Maybe he is more innocent than she is trying to paint him in her mind.

"Kankuro..." she mutters, as a question that has been bothering her finally finds voice. "What happened to your eye?"

His answer doesn't come, and it takes some time before Sakura looks back up at him. Her words have wiped the smile from his face, and stares at her with a hard, straight face. Both his eyes now show only her reflection, and it is enough for Sakura to realize that subject is a sensitive. One he is not ready to share with her, if ever. So, instead, he turns partially.

"Come on," he says. "Let's go back, I can make you something to eat."

She hesitates, and even looks back towards the jungle and ocean. A part of her still tells her to flee, that Kankuro is not truly a friend to her now.

"We can talk while we do so," he offers her instead.

Bait, she would call it, but she can't stop herself from following to feed her hungry curiosity. She wants to hear his story, she wants to answer the questions he undoubtedly has for her, and she wants to know when she can see Gaara. So she follows Kankuro back into the thick jungle with slow steps as they make their way back to the mansion.

Despite the silence, Sakura does take the time to ask a few last questions.

"You believe I'm the real Sakura?" she asks Kankuro.

She can see his shoulders rise and fall as she asks this. Time ticks by again and silence looms.

"I do," he finally admits.

From an enemy's viewpoint, Sakura would call Kankuro foolish. She has done nothing to convince him that she truly is her despite her knowing otherwise. In her heart, her emotional viewpoint, she is grateful to the brunette in front of her. His soul may be the most kindest of all three siblings.

"Thank you," Sakura whispers to him.

Quiet again, but with time, Sakura picks her head up as soon as she hears Kankuro chuckle lightly. Her steps follow, but Kankuro's own stop for a moment and only pick up when he is next to her. He looks down at her with a playful smile.

"You don't look any older though!" he grins, and his eyes scan her face once more. "You actually look younger than me now."

Truth to his words, for she really is the younger between the two now. Yet, she humors the lie she had begun with Chiyo.

"I age well," she says.

Kankuro tilts his head some to his words, and the longer he stares, the more awkward Sakura begins feel. Eventually, as his smile grows into a grin, Sakura stops their movement.

"What?" she asks, a little annoyed.

"Well..." Kankuro begins, rolling his shoulders as he looks back out in front of them. "Nah. Nothing. Never mind."

He picks up their walk again, and Sakura lifts an eyebrow at him before racing to catch up to him.

"What?" she asks a little more fervently, his words and body language making her curious.

Kankuro quickly shakes his head, his eyes still not returning to her.

"Tell me," she pushes.

Immediately Kankuro sighs, and his hands sink into his pockets as he slouches while they walk.

"It's nothing. It's just..." he trails off again, and as he continues his voice becomes more hush. "When I was little I always thought you were pretty."

Sakura blushes lightly. Walking the streets of her home, she has been approached by, and met with, many children. Some who have complimented her beauty whether it be her hair or eyes. So, as Kankuro reveals this, she doesn't think his words a lie.

"Seeing you now," Kankuro continues while he stretches his neck and rubs that back of it. "Now that I'm older..."

His words come to a stop, and he glances quickly at Sakura before his eyes go back out in front of him. From his neck his hand finds its way over his mouth, and through it he finishes his words.

"You really are cute."

Sakura's blush deepens. She is still not familiar with men close to her age complimenting her, and can't help herself from diverting her eyes away to the ground next to her. As she humors his words in her mind, she half-wonders if Kankuro, from her world, ever shared the same thoughts while viewing her from a distance. Yet, as that thought comes to mind, as well as Kankuro's younger self, Sakura is able to brush away the bashfulness and turn to Kankuro with a lift of her brow.

"You were just calling me Sakaasan a few minutes ago," she shoots back. "Sakaasan. Sakura.  _Okaasan_."

It's like she has hit him hard, for he grits his teeth as his eyes shy away from her once more. He even gives a small hiss of pain.

"I know! I know!" he says. "I'm just...you know...It's been fifteen years and...now you're here. I don't know how I'm suppose to feel. Like, I'm happy but I feel like I shouldn't be. I should be mad at you or something...but I'm just..."

He sighs when he realizes his ramblings are just showing off an insecure being.

"It's alright," Sakura says, trying to brush away his worries. "I'm glad to see you again too."

As he looks at her, he almost gives her a surprised expression.

"Really?" he asks.

Sakura can't help but wonder why this would even be a question to him. Perhaps he thought she left them behind because she cared nothing for them, or maybe he is shocked she still says that after all the things he has done. Yet, if she thinks hard on it, searches deep within her soul for an answer, she can't help the small smile that follows.

"Yeah," she admits with a nod. "It's always nice to see a friend again."

It's Kankuro's turn to blush this time, and his hand is still stuck around his mouth as his eyes sway out in front of him. He needs admit nothing verbally for her to see that her words have lifted his spirits.

As they return home, and march their way into the kitchen, Sakura steps back to watch him brings out the old, dirty looking pots. She must make a grotesque face, for he grins apologetically before beginning to work above the stove.

"We...haven't had time to fix up this place," Kankuro admits. "Apparently this whole island belonged to some rich guy and his family. As you can see, they either died or left the island long ago."

Sakura says nothing, but instead listens as she reaches for the glass bowls. She gently wipes her thumb across the dish, grimacing more as the dust on the cracked bowl slides along with her skin. She brings the dishes to the sink next to Kankuro, and he takes a moment to watch her wash the dishes.

"We each kinda just come and go. We really don't stay here that long, just a couple of days here and there for each of us."

Kankuro continues to speak and his words make the gears in Sakura's head turn.

"This is one of their bases?" she wonders.

While the lone home is quite big, she doubts it can house an entire army. Perhaps what Kankuro means is a select few of them.

"By  _we_  you mean…?" Sakura pushes.

She can see through the corner of her eyes that Kankuro tenses lightly. Perhaps, by her pressuring, he is reminded that Sakura is not truly on his side. It could be that before her capture the young man had been lectured and reminded the importance of not revealing much. He speaks vaguely.

"Just those close to Gaara."

Yet, he also accidentally slips a little more.

"He doesn't really get close to anyone..."

With that slip, Sakura notices the hurt in his voice. That alone makes Sakura's heart sink. Kankuro was supposed to be the closest one to Gaara. In this world, does that position fall to another, or no one at all? She also makes note of the underlying message Kankuro is not saying to Sakura. That people come and go here, but it is a select few.

"Gaara was closest to you when he was younger," Sakura mentions. "I have no doubt you're his closest ally in this, aren't you?"

The spoon that stirs stops for a moment, and Kankuro falls silent and thoughtful. Sakura can't help herself from turning to look at him, to possibly understand through his silence what he is emotionally feeling and thinking. Yet, his face is blank as he stares at the brown water he now prepares them. In the end, he gives Sakura nothing.

"Soup is alright for now, right?" he asks while forcing a smile. "Something quick for now, I'm sure you're starving. You've been out for a few days."

' _Days..._ ' Sakura thinks, and wonders if Chiyo and Baki worry for her like they claimed they would.

Maybe, if he plays her cards correctly, Kankuro will show her a means to reach them. Though, as she recollects his loyalty to his brother, she realizes that idea is foolish as it gives away this island. She sighs then, staring at the dusty ceiling.

"No one else is here?" she asks.

Kankuro nods.

"Just you and me," he answers her.

' _Days..._ ' she remembers.

That thought makes her ponder. How important does Gaara view her now? She imagined him to be like her, wanting nothing but answers to questions that, for him, had probably been stirring inside his mind these past fifteen years. Yet, instead of meeting her when she first awoke, it is Kankuro instead. She would think she were Gaara's top priority as he was for her, but now wonders if he keeps her waiting through hate.

' _Chiyo mentioned he wouldn't listen to me, and that he has changed..._ ' she thinks.

Yet, she shakes her head to those thoughts.

' _No,_ ' she convinces herself. ' _He will listen to me. He did so as a child. He will take the time for me._ '

As if to solidify her thoughts, she turns to Kankuro.

"When will Gaara be here?" she asks.

Again, the young man tenses before his gaze shifts towards Sakura. He stares at her with a piercing look for a moment before swallowing hard.

"Soon," he replies.

Yet, his vague answer doesn't pass this time around, and she narrows her eyes more in silent demanding.

"He'll...He'll be here...s-soon," he replies to Sakura. "He-He's taking care of some urgent business up North."

To this answer, Sakura's eyes widen some.

' _Up North?_ ' she wonders, vaguely recalling words she had heard in Kakashi's office.

" _No word from the others up North yet. Maybe we should send some of the underlings up there to assess the situation and report back._ "

Kurotsuchi had said this, and the recollection along with Kankuro's words just paints a picture again in Sakura's mind of how very real this war is. How her friends are fighting one another. Blood of those she cares about is being spilled around the world, and instead she stands here waiting to eat soup. Her fists suddenly clench.

Her swaying moods go unnoticed by the young man; instead he humors her more with light chatter before carrying two bowls to the table. He settles into his seat before glancing back towards Sakura.

"Come on," he says with a nudge of his head. "You don't want it to get cold."

It's only then that he notices Sakura's tense body, and his eyes scan her over once more before his features fall.

"Kankuro," Sakura begins. "Tell me everything. Tell me what happened after I left. Tell me what's happened to Gaara."

His eyes go round, and quickly he turns his shocked features from Sakura's piercing gaze.

"A-A-After dinner," he tells her. "Just come sit and eat, yeah? Let's just have a nice dinner. We can talk about nicer things."

Yet, the only appetite Sakura has is that of a hungry mind searching for answers to feed it, and she narrows her eyes towards Kankuro before stepping next to him. To her approach, Kankuro keeps his eyes downcast at his food and refuses to look at her.

"Tell me what's happened to Gaara," she repeats with some distaste.

Still nothing comes from the brunette, and Sakura only grows angrier, and that anger echoes through her next set of words.

"Tell me why three children I cared and loved grew up to be cold-blooded murderers!"

She is surprised by his reaction this time around, as anger now seems to course through him. She takes a step back as Kankuro violently pushes the table away from him. Though the top doesn't move by much, the bowls of soup and silverware he has placed down topple over with the brown liquid now dressing the tabletop and floor. Even if some of the hot soup drips down to his thigh, Kankuro makes no move from his spot, and instead places his head and eyes into the palm of his hand which he rests against the wet table.

His heavy breaths are heard, but Sakura makes no sound. Instead, she is astonished at what she has just witnessed.

"Sorry..." he whispers, eyes still hiding in his hand. "I'll make you some more soup in a minute."

Sakura swallows hard, and berates herself for approaching Kankuro in such a manner. She had noticed before his stress through his features, but is it only now that she truly wonders what hardships he has gone through these past fifteen years. Maybe, just maybe, like her, he is put into war against his will.

To that thought, Sakura draws close. Even if Kankuro still will not look at her, she presses forward by gently placing her hand on top of his. He does not move to her touch, and does not pull away or bring his eyes up. In her mind, she recalls the time she did the same thing to him when he was younger, and wonders if it's possible for him to remember the same. Back then, she had done this and begged Kankuro to not hate his brother, and he had listened.

This time, she asks for something different.

"Please," she whispers. "Tell me what's happened to Gaara."

Time passes, but eventually Kankuro gives her an answer. She watches as his hand slides into her own, his hand embracing her own before he gives it a tight squeeze. It is like her touch is the push, and reassurance, he needs to reveal a dark, painful past.

"I'll answer what I know and can," he whispers.


	45. Chapter 45

Kankuro is quiet while his eyes move to Sakura's movements. With his mouth still resting in his hand Sakura can see the anxiety in his gaze as soon as she pulls a chair close to him. Perhaps he regrets his agreement; for he looks frightened and distant by the time Sakura sits and returns his gaze.

"Are-Are you sure you don't want to wait for Gaara?" he asks. "I can't really speak for him or answer on his-uh part."

Sakura offers Kankuro the faintest hint of a smile; just enough reassurance to tell him, I know this conversation may be hard but it is something we must do. She's well aware of the hard questions she may be bombarded with as well.

"I just want some answers now," she tells him, making him shuffle in his seat.

"I know but..." he trails when his eye lands on her and he sees the severity of her request

Instead of finishing his words he instead turns his gaze below him with a heavy frown. Eventually, his head hangs and he turns his body somewhat away from the rosette.

"What do you want to know?" he whispers.

Sakura only stares with a blank face; her eyes wavering when she spots the scar across the skin around his glass eye.

"Everything," she tells him

Kankuro merely shakes his head to this.

"I can't tell you everything," he admits again. "Some things I don't know because Gaara doesn't tell me..."

That comment itself makes a question in Sakura's mind, yet instead of asking for the obvious she lets Kankuro speak only what he wishes for now.

"Just tell me what's happened since my disappearance. What's been happening these fifteen years."

His head still hangs, and taking in her words he eventually sighs. Slowly, he lifts his head up and takes in a deep breath.

"Alright," he agrees. "Let me think for a minute. It's been so long that I..."

She watches as his voice stops and he begins to chew on his lip a little; perhaps deciding what all to share.

"Of course, I'm sure you know. Our old man basically started this war with Konoha. He was convinced they had sent you to Suna to kidnap Gaara."

Sakura only nods as Kankuro looks at her.

"Yeah..." he murmurs while staring at Sakura hard. "I have to confess, I was young mind you, but I thought the same thing. You know, Dad convinced Temari and I that you had taken our brother."

Kankuro pauses and sniffs hard as his eyes trail past Sakura to stare at the wall. Eventually, he begins to slowly nod as recollection surfaces more and more.

"I remember being upset. I was upset you took Gaara and not me and Temari. I use to stay up late thinking you would show up and sneak us away to where you had taken Gaara. I thought you had given him a better life and left us behind."

Sakura makes a movement, perhaps even about to say her peace. Yet, she stops when Kankuro's eye shifts back to her and slowly he shakes his head as if to tell her to remain quiet.

"It wouldn't be until many years later. Many, many years that I would learn the truth."

His stare on her is long after, almost as if he has lost himself to a memory before he shakes it away and his words become more state-of-fact.

"I've been in a war for fifteen years. It didn't matter my age, I was thrown into fighting as soon as it began. The old man made me fight to save Gaara."

His head sways for a moment, another deep recollection comes forth, and he speaks it with almost some humor in his voice.

"You know...Um-When I first saw your wanted posters, Dad always painted you as this evil being, and I just kept thinking to myself how wrong he was. How wrong this whole drama was. How you were Sakaasan, and how you weren't suppose to just abandon me and Temari like that. I fought a war to please my old man and to see my little brother again, but...I was fighting just to see you too. I didn't want to believe you had just left us like that..."

Sakura swallows hard. She wants nothing more than to explain to Kankuro how everything was out of her control, but stops when she realizes the young man has much more to say.

"I fought, because I was too young and stupid to tell my dad man no. I fought, because I wanted so bad to see you and Gaara again. I fought...until I became blind by my old man's madness."

Sakura's eyes widen then and she is surprised when Kankuro watches her with a dark, blank stare.

"Yeah," he comments, as if Sakura's facial expression says it all. "Did you know? Dad went mad searching for you and Gaara. It took too long for the world to see that he was leading a war that would destroy him and his allies. There came a point, peace treaty's swept away by his hand over the years, where the council was ready to send men in to overthrow him. His enemies thought him mad. His allies, and even his own men, could see that Dad was destroying our country. Our village, and all those around Suna, were suffering because of my old man. People lived in the streets, starving to death or with diseases our little village couldn't manage..."

He shakes his head slowly while recounting the time.

"And for what?" he asks then. "Everyone in Suna knew we did it for Gaara's sake. While everyone saw you stealing Gaara away as a blessing, my dad instead was persistent in finding you and his son."

Kankuro takes a moment and blinks as he stares still towards the wall. In time, a smile forms on him and he almost laughs lightly before looking towards Sakura.

"It's funny. I always thought my old man hated Gaara. You know, always told us to stay away, and that Gaara would kill us if given the chance. He did everything he could to keep everyone away from Gaara. We were always told not to run or he would chase us."

As if knowing she should recollect that same phrase, he looks up at Sakura for a moment before continuing with an eye on her and his head slowly nodding up and down.

"I thought he led this war for pride of his village and country. Throughout the years, I thought these battles were for his name and not necessarily for Gaara's..."

Another swallow.

"Ten years later, as I'm making my way into his office to report on a mission I just finished, I find him in his office just...uh-completely broken."

Sakura's eyes widen upon hearing this.

"He was alone in the dark. Head on the table just bawling his eyes out."

Kankuro this time closes his eyes while shaking his head at the thought of it.

"He was crying while muttering my mother's name. Asking her to forgive him for losing Gaara."

Though Sakura makes no face, Kankuro gives her a shocked expression as if the information he is giving her now she should find bewildering. Under other circumstances, she probably would. Yet, she was aware of his hidden feelings and even knew Rasa kept her around to make sure Gaara would not meet harm's way.

"Yeah," Kankuro chortles a little. " _My_  dad. Crying for  _Gaara_. I knew then that the rumors of his mind going were true. My old man would have never cried for Gaara."

To this information, Sakura sighs hard. She doesn't notice it, but Kankuro's wide gaze follows her movements then. Guilt suddenly takes a hold of her. Perhaps the man they claim to have gone mad truly was in a right state of mind after all. Perhaps Rasa had become so overcome with grief that he no longer cared how the world viewed his inner feelings. In the end, it sounds as though he was just a desperate father looking for his lost one. Sakura's heart feels heavy knowing that Rasa probably blamed her for his pain and internal struggle until the end.

' _Gaara,_ ' she thinks. ' _You truly couldn't find your way home?_ '

"Ah!"

Kankuro almost coos, and Sakura's eyes are on his in a flash. Her frown hardens once she sees his eyes widen with an almost foreboding look as he stares at her.

"You know something..." Kankuro whispers almost gleefully. "Something _interesting_."

His appearance now mentally shakes Sakura. He looks at her much like his father once had; That she carries a thought he is starving to hear. Despite the kindness he still has in him, Sakura is reminded then that, for fifteen years, Kankuro has been raised in war and that his mentality is still trained to look for the little signs in an enemy that would give him the upper-hand. As silence lingers between the two, gazes still locked, Kankuro seems to recollect himself and his wide eyes slowly fall until he looks away again.

"Don't let Gaara see that look.  _Ever_ ," he warns instead.

"Why?" Sakura asks. "Does he lead his army in search of something? Is looking for something or someone?"

Yet, Kankuro merely shakes his head.

"It's...I don't know," he quickly answers; eyes back on Sakura. "I don't know."

He repeats his words and only stops when Sakura nods in understanding. The underlying message is clear to her then. If it is something Gaara is searching for then he has not informed Kankuro of the details. Kankuro is simply blindly following his brother for a reason he may, or may not, reveal to her today. Perhaps, just the simple fact through blood and a shared home does Kankuro stand with Gaara.

"I left my father alone that night; decided to wait until morning to report and speak with him..."

Kankuro's jaw slacks for the moment before he cracks it and begins to nod his head again.

"Instead, I'm woke up by Baki. Thrown into a room with Temari and told that our old man, and the council, had all been murdered the night before. All this information was thrown at us left and right. That we would need to make the deciding factors. That it was Temari and I who called the next shot. Do we continue the war, seek a peace treaty, or retaliate with those we suspect culprit to my dad's death?"

Kankuro's eyes shake for a moment and his voice falls silent, as if the next bit he shares was impacting those five years ago.

"I think...um," he remarks. "If I remember right, I was going to move forward with ending the war. I'm sure Temari would agree...After ten years, we were both really, uh...tired. We hadn't given up on Gaara, but I think we both shared the same thought that there could be a more appropriate way. Despite all evidence, I wanted to believe my brother wasn't prisoner anywhere..."

A smile begins on Kankuro and his eyes sweep past Sakura's gaze towards the wall, and back and forth, as his smile slowly grows.

"Before we can even think, here waltz in our brother. He carried himself towards us like he owned every part of the country already. He had no pause in his stride, he showed no emotion towards us or even any recollection that he knew who we were. Gaara came to us then."

Kankuro gives off a little chuckle.

"It only took ten years but finally we found my brother."

Sakura jumps lightly as Kankuro slams his fist against the table, rocking it slightly.

"...and all that beautiful chaos he brought with him sweeps through our whole village!"

Sakura is quiet as she gives Kankuro a moment to collect himself. The brunette stares at the floor in deep thought, a smile no longer eerily plagues his face.

"Temari and I wanted to embrace our brother. We put in so much effort to get him to tell us what had happened those past ten years or what had happened to you. But he avoided us at every chance we drew near him. Running off, or hiding away in the village. It wouldn't be until later I realized he was probably focusing on his next move."

Kankuro looks back at Sakura; his face now stern with hidden emotions.

"People cheered for my dad's death while others shook under Gaara's return. Temari was pushed to take up the role as the next Kazekage, but those who would authorize such a thing so fast had been killed off that night. There was no council to vouch for her, and all our attempts to reach our Diamyo were met with no answer. The army was at a pause waiting for an order. By the time we finally found a place where Temari could call back our army, and begin a process to end the war, Gaara just swoops in and takes matters into his own hands."

Kankuro smiles again.

"Out of the three of us, Gaara was much more prepared to lead. I think Temari and I were relieved, and in awe, when he walked in one day and told us to let him handle the matter. He had convinced us that since this war had begun because of him, he would see to finish it. I was surprised how good at convincing people Gaara had become. He made speeches within the country, gathering everyone to his side with a promise that we would be all the more prosperous after the war. He let his voice be carried around the world, showing others what they would gain by joining him. I couldn't believe my eyes when the enemy we were fighting just days before were blsuddenly becoming our allies. Everything happened so fast too, you know?"

To his words, Sakura's eyes narrow. Convincing may be the word Kankuro uses but, even through his own wonderment, manipulation is the word that comes more to Sakura. As desperate for the fighting to end as Kankuro makes it sound, it speaks to Sakura that Gaara may have honed in on this, and false promises, to grow the army he leads today. Alas, the rosette grows disappointed seeing Kankuro praise his brother through all this. Does he forget that his own brother is the one who killed his father? Who selfishly pushed Kankuro and Temari aside just for his gain?

"It's been five years, and It feels like it's been longer than those ten...but finally we're so close to having it all," Kankuro whispers.

Sakura leans in then.

"Having what?" she asks softly, frowning when Kankuro turns a smile towards her.

"The  _world_."

Sakura sneers then. She can find no prosperous joy in Kankuro's blind words. War would only continue, she knows. There will always be someone who will stand up to Gaara. This end to fighting, will never cease, despite what Gaara has pledged.

"The world is what he wants?" Sakura asks, trying to shed light onto the dark cloud in Kankuro's mind. "You justify your brother's actions? He has probably killed so many innocent people."

"Sadly, sacrifices needed for the greater cause," Kankuro retorts coldly, as if he is machine programmed for such answers.

"Kankuro!" Sakura cries, standing herself tall with reprimand in her voice.

Kankuro's eyes widen and his gaze shakes while staring at Sakura.

"Nothing about this justifies Gaara's actions! Nor your own! Why...Why did you do nothing to stop Gaara?! This is far from what I was trying to teach him…"

As she grips her hands, her fists tremble in rage. How could these kids have strayed so far from her words, did that mean everything she had tried to do had been a fleeting thought?

"You were suppose to be there for him when I was gone. You were suppose to help him continue down a better path..." Sakura whispers before she turns and cries once more at Kankuro. "Instead you've been sucked in to the darkness too!"

As she stares at Kankuro, waiting for his apology, she finds her anger growing as his stare on her is stoic and glazed. Silently, she feels as though he is a mocking her with hidden words.

" _And? So?_ " his face tells her.

He has accepted this path long ago, the one Gaara leads him down.

Yet, perhaps her passion sparks something within this puppet-like man; for his face does fall and he sighs before sinking back into his chair.

"Sorry," he says. "I think you should save the talk of war and politics once you see Gaara. You'll see, he knows what he's doing. It'll make more sense then. I-I promise."

Sakura opens her mouth to retaliate, but stops as soon as Kankuro begins to ramble again.

"Gaara. Gaara," he repeats. "You want to know about Gaara. Um… I feel like I don't know anymore then what I learned those five years ago. Unless it's politics, a report, or a mission we need to discuss our conversations are brief..."

Sakura's heart drops to that information.

' _No..._ ' she thinks. ' _You two were suppose to be at_ _be_ _st with one another. Not distant like this._ '

"He did tell Temari and I that you were probably dead when we asked about you. He did deny all accusations against you that you stole him. As to where he went, or what he did those ten years...He's never told me."

Kankuro again swallows and his eye trails to the floor.

"Maybe someone else? Even Temari," Kankuro offers. "There were rumors about Gaara's disappearance once he came back. That someone else found him and raised him to be the great leader he is today. The rebels would tell you he walked the desert, alone, those ten years and that he had gone mad throughout that ordeal. And then..." Kankuro's voice trails to a stop and he stares still.

"And then," he repeats. "There's this one. I like this one the best actually. There's a story of a little boy who traveled the world, searching everywhere he could for his best friend. Gaining his great knowledge and power through his travels."

Kankuro turns a grin towards Sakura. Meanwhile, the rosette is wide-eyed at such a tale and pleads in her heart for that not to be the case. She had wanted Gaara to grow with the people he had in his life then, not go searching for her in vain.

"I think that one sounds much more nice," Kankuro begins. "I bet he met a lot of people that way. I bet that's why he has a big army now, because people everywhere knew him! I bet he'd be so happy to see you. I bet he'll be real happy once I tell him you were here."

Sakura's eyes widen for a moment. Kankuro's speech becomes speedy and uncanny. Sure enough, as Sakura looks back at Kankuro, the young man is grinning with force, and he grips his chair tight while using it to hold himself upright. The longer he stares at Sakura the more Sakura notices his unhinged gaze in his one eye. Sakura fears, not for her sake but the brunette's own then. He is different.

_Very_  much different than the Kankuro she knows.

' _His mind has suffered greatly,_ ' she thinks.

Though he spoke of madness with his father, and possibly Gaara, the most evident one possessing this now is the brunette in front of her.

"You haven't told Gaara, have you?" Sakura asks, putting Kankuro's words together.

She stays put in her place, even when Kankuro comes close enough to loom over her with his smile. Yet, to her question, he hisses through his grin and even rubs the corner of his eye as if she has caused him physical pain.

"I just don't want him to hurt you," he says through clenched teeth. "You're my Sakaasan. I don't want you to die too."

Even if his grin is still present; a few droplets escape his eyes. Sakura simply stares up at him. She can see now he has lost people close to him. Fifteen years he has lost someone, or many, that were close to him. He has been keeping it hidden within him, maybe out of fear or disappointment, but it has chipped away at his mind throughout the time he secluded such feelings within his own self.

It could even be this very scenario that makes his mind suddenly snap. Maybe he had been wanting, waiting, to speak about his brother and the war like this. How it affected him. Whatever the case, he cries now as if a burden has been lifted from his shoulders. Yet, the grin he still holds, tells Sakura to be wary.

"I-I don't want to see him kill you again. Every time he does...it...I..."

She keeps her feet steady, despite the way his body practically towers over her now. Through his grin and wet eye, she can see a man whose mind is imbalanced. She can see his internal struggle, a battle in his head that tells him what is right and wrong. What is appropriate for someone his age and what isn't. He looks to be suffering, yet relieved at the sight of her.

The side she wishes to win is actually losing.

Sakura becomes more aware of this the moment Kankuro inches his fingers towards her left eye. His smile trembles at the force he uses to keep his hand up.

"This time..." he hisses. "Let me be the one. I'll make it quick, I'll make it painless. I won't even leave a trace. I'll save you from him this time, Sakaasan."

' _Perhaps,_ ' Sakura thinks. ' _He doesn't actually believe me when I say I'm the real Sakura. He just convinces his mind to pretend enough to make it all the more real._ '

She realizes then he has asked no questions. Has not pleaded for answers like she has with him, and it's evidence that piles on along to her prior thinking. She blinks when his fingers steadily reach for her eye.

"Gaara always lets me keep the eyes. For my puppets, you know? For some reason they never stay green. Once I pull them out, they always turn back to the natural color. A bright emerald, dimming to a dull coal. I hate when that happens."

Sakura's eyes widen to this statement and instantly her gaze locks with his brown, glass eye. Her mind also falls to his puppets and wonders if she could find a pink-haired one now among his collection.

"Will those emerald eyes continue to shine, Sakaasan?" he asks with the smallest whimper through his wide grin.

Her hand quickly wraps around his wrist then and he gives a sharp gasp to her touch. Like a mother scolding her child, Kankuro's face falls instantly to Sakura's valor and he even steps back as if to pull away from her touch.

"I need to speak with Gaara," Sakura's says, her tone almost authoritative.

Despite his approach and broken mind, Sakura holds no ill-will towards Kankuro, nor fear. If anything, his acts are almost childish that he can be easily disarmed. She does feel grieved by his mental state, but must force herself to listen to all stories before she sorts out how to help him. He may be suffering, a thought that aches Sakura's heart, but she deems him harmless enough and can only hope he will be forgiving knowing she took her time before helping him.

She watches as his wide eye sways from her grip and back to her emerald gaze. She holds him, but they both know he has the more power between them and can easily break her hold. Yet, he doesn't, and speaks more to her how he views her now. Above him, authoritative, decisive between them. Almost like a…

"Sakaasan," he whispers.

Even when he whispers the nickname, Sakura takes a small step back as a hand slowly glides over Kankuro's shoulder. The pair are no longer alone, and Sakura finally releases her hold to try and view the person behind the brunette.

"What have you done, Kankuro?" a voice breaks the silence.

Yet, it is one Sakura recognizes, and of course Kankuro as well. The brunette gasps to the question and steps back to the side to let Sakura finally see who it is who has sneaked in on them. Her eyes widen at the sight, and likewise, the other gaze goes round upon seeing Sakura.

"Temari," Sakura whispers.

Temari takes a step forward while tilting her head lightly towards Kankuro. Her wide eyes stay on Sakura and she seems almost in awe staring at the rosette for a moment in silence.

"What have you done, Kankuro?" Temari asks again, her eyes showing some worry.

Kankuro only swallows hard and his eyes fall to the floor.

"I-I...Just..." he tries to answer, but is cut off by Temari's harsh cry.

"What have you done?!" she cries, turning to face her brother. "Did you make this?!"

As she points a finger at Sakura, her eyes turn back towards Sakura. Sakura only grimaces, bewildered by Temari's question. Yet, as Temari's eyes linger and notice Sakura's face, she gives a quick sharp gasp of realization.

"She's not a puppet," Temari suddenly whispers.

Temari narrows her eyes and turns them quickly back towards Kankuro.

"Is this the one from that town?!" Temari screams at her brother.

His answer is only silence; his face still fallen. It is enough for Temari though and she steps back while shaking her head.

"What have you done…?" she repeats as the finger pointed at Sakura now trembles.

Anger washes from Temari while staring at Kankuro. Instead, she looks at her brother with worry and anxiety, as if he is dying right before her eyes.

"No! No! No!" she cries before gripping her head. "You're such an idiot, Kankuro! Why did you bring her  _here_?! What have you told her?! Do you want Gaara to hurt you?!"

"No...No," Kankuro hisses, shutting his eyes. "I...I just...she's..."

"Gaara is going to kill you when he finds out she was here! He is going to tear your other eye out when he finds out you captured her without informing him!"

"I just wanted a chance to talk to her!" Kankuro finally manages to say "I really do believe she is Sakaasan!"

Sakura takes a bold step forward, putting herself between Temari and Kankuro as her eyes narrow towards the blonde who returns a look of distaste.

"Stop this," Sakura says. "Let me just speak with Gaara. I'll tell him that Kankuro has done nothing wrong, or revealed anything secret with me. We've only just discussed the war."

Yet, instead of an answer, Temari just scoffs and sneers while raising her nose towards Sakura.

"Just because you fooled my gullible brother doesn't mean you can fool me or Gaara. Who do you think you even are? Gaara isn't going to want to sit and chat with you, he's going to tear you apart the minute he sees you."

To that statement, Sakura bites her lip, trying to hold back her anger. All this time, she convinced herself that Gaara would be as eager to speak as she. Yet, the more people she meets, the more that tell her she is just walking straight to her end, the more dishearten she now begins to feel. Can she even manage one word out to the redhead before a wave of sand buries her?

Sakura loses herself in thought but is brought back when Kankuro gently places a hand on her shoulder.

"No," he answers Temari. "Gaara will not kill her. He would never hurt the real Sakura."

To this, Temari sneers. Perhaps, for that moment, she agrees with her brother. Yet, she is not so easily convinced on other factors as Kankuro can be.

"She hasn't even aged. She doesn't even look that strong. She is not the real Sakura."

Silence follows, for Sakura feels that this would be a never-ending battle if she were to argue against Temari about who she really is. She's told so many people these past days who she reay is that the fire that continues to spread is beginning to diminish. She'll save that last spark for Gaara.

"We should just kill her now and hide her body. That way, at least, Kankuro you-"

Sakura can feel the grip on her shoulder tighten.

"No," Kankuro speaks, eyes narrowing towards his sister. "I won't let you do that to her."

"She is just going to die anyway you idiot! If you leave her to Gaara he will come after you next! You should have just-!"

"I would die for her!"

Sakura gasps and eyes shake at Kankuro's declaration. Her impact in his young life, had it really been this much she wonders? Even Temari looks taken aback at Kankuro's claim and is silent for some time looking at him.

"You'd die for her. You selfish idiot," Temari eventually mumbles. "You'd put her before me, your sister?! You'd go against your own brother who leads us to a better world?! Has she poisoned your mind?!"

Temari suddenly reaches for Sakura's arm. As the blonde does this, Kankuro's grip tightens on Sakura's shoulder and Sakura feels as though she is suddenly placed in a game of tug-of-war between these two siblings. Where Kankuro's optimistic and timid nature continues, with just a touch of mental strain, Temari seems opposite of him. She looks towards Sakura with justified suspicion. Temari's voice is also more loud than the one Sakura knows from home, yet it is clear and cut to her views...As is her mind.

"She is a fake, Kankuro!" Temari cries. "She tricked you into bringing her here. She is just a spy or assassin like the others!"

"She isn't! She really is Sakaasan!" Kankuro cries back. "She knows our mother's song!"

Sakura grits her teeth then, their argument pointless and childish.

"Quit it!" Sakura cries, breaking herself from the two.

They watch, in silence, as Sakura takes a stand to look at the two briefly with angry eyes.

"What is wrong with you two?" Sakura can't help herself from asking. "It's as if I'm dealing with your younger, bratty selves all over again. Is this all because of the war, did you not understand when you had to grow up?"

As Sakura eyes the two, Kankuro's eyes only fall while Temari sneers towards the rosette. To the sight, Sakura takes a deep breath, no longer caring how these two view her at the moment. Her goal is still the same; speak to Gaara. So, she looks towards the blonde now.

"I don't care if you have to follow me, or tie me up, or whatever," Sakura begins to tell the blonde. "I just need to speak with Gaara."

Sakura's eyes turn towards Kankuro then.

"I need you to tell Gaara that I am here and waiting for him. Right now," she finishes.

Kankuro looks away before a sigh escapes him.

"Listen, you don't make the orders here you-" Temari begins, but is cut off by Kankuro's gentle murmur.

"Ok."

His voice seems distant, but his answer is enough to make Temari watch with eyes of worry as Kankuro turns from the two women and begins to maks his way out of the kitchen.

"W-W-Wait..." Temari whispers towards him then. "You can't! If he finds out about her you'll-!"

Yet, Kankuro makes no pause in his steps as he leaves the two women behind. The last trace he leaves is merely another whisper.

"Temari, I don't care. If that's what Sakaasan wants, I'll do it."

Together, in silence, the two women listen until Kankuro's steps are gone. It is only then, that Temari marches quickly towards Sakura; her hand painfully sinking into the rosette's arm.

"You want to speak to Gaara?" she asks while dragging Sakura out of the house. "Fine, but I'll be damned if you think you can wait for him comfortably in there!"

It isn't until they are in the jungle does Sakura pull herself from Temari's grip. As their eyes meet in challenge, Sakura hisses.

"I told you, I don't care where or how it is I wait for him now, just as long as I get to speak with him."

Temari sneers to this but nonetheless makes no attempt to reach for Sakura again. Instead, she trudges forward with the knowledge that Sakura will obediently follow.

"Believe me when I say this," Temari speaks once more to Sakura. "If anything happens to Kankuro because of you, Gaara won't be the only one you have to worry about."

Sakura makes no comment, instead she silently follows as they travel the long distance. It isn't until they are near the green mountain does Sakura realize they aren't the only ones on the island. In the distance, she spots some men guarding an entrance to the mountain, and they nod at Temari before reaching for Sakura.

Their touches are not gentle, and Sakura does begin to struggle against them before Temari reminds her of her promise.

"You'll wait for Gaara in there," she smirks while nodding towards the mountain.

The guards begin dragging Sakura, and as the rosette turns one last time to look back at Temari she spots the woman's devious smirk.

"Who knows," Temari snickers. "Maybe you'll meet an old friend in there."

As Sakura blinks in wonder; Temari gives her a quick wave before calling out to her.

"This time,  _Sakura_ , just stay dead once Gaara kills you...again _._ "


	46. Chapter 46

Where Konoha had dug deep into their mountain; make-shifting the rock to accommodate a home for all who went up against Gaara, the lush mountain here instead was used as a prison for those who fought against the very same man. The green and rocky beauty from a distance actually held something much darker inside it, both literal and rhetorical in Sakura's mind. When she was first dragged in by the guards, Sakura was blindly pushed down sets of stairs after stairs. With barely any light coming from the hanging lamps against the rock, Sakura could not make out any of the faces in the many cells. Even if she looked past the many bars, no eyes would look to meet up with her nor was any voice whispered. There was an empty feeling within the hot, damp mountain, yet Sakura could feel many, many bodies as they strolled past each cage. Even as they ushered her down halls to a flight of stairs and led her down the mountain more and more, Sakura could sense a tremendous amount of count within the mountain.

' _Are they all rebels? Are they the ones Kakashi spoke about saving?_ ' Sakura wonders.

A sweat breaks out on her forehead and the dewy humid feeling becomes heavier the farther down the travel.

' _It's getting harder to breathe in her_ _e. I_ _s t_ _here lava under this mountain_ _…_ _?_ '

She takes a glance again within the shadows of the cells and can see people still shuffle lightly within them.

' _How long have they been in here? This heat must be torture to_ _most_ _of them._ '

Sakura says nothing, nor does she fight back once she is shown into a cell. She merely pushes herself forward with the knowledge that Gaara will see her soon.

"No talking. No crying, and  _no_  funny business," is all one guard tells her before the two march away.

Sakura watches them, wondering if they truly would place her in a cell and simply walk off like they are now. Even if they do just that, she does notice one lone guard. Still, at the sight, Sakura sneers.

' _Just one guard?_ ' she thinks. ' _Is it that there's more, or_ _are they negligent to_ _everyone they lock up_ _?_ '

In the beginning, Sakura had simply explored her empty cell. She would trace the rough mountain in the back of her pen before looking at the cells next to her. It seemed they had placed her further away from others since she had no neighbors to look at. In the distance, as time passed, she could hear fits of coughs and light sneezes from time to time and narrowed her gaze when she realized something troubling.

"They all sound like women," she whispered to herself.

With time, Sakura takes a seat on the wet, rocky ground. She sighs as the dampness and thick air around her grows more uncomfortable. Even the smell of moist and rock makes her gag lightly as her body heat rises. Yet she remains seated while hugging her knees and staring angrily towards the ground. The mountain rumbles lightly from time to time, and light drops are heard throughout the mountain time to time as drops slide their way down formations. Another cough is heard.

' _Do they only take wom_ _e_ _n as prisoners?_ ' she wonders.

Perhaps, it is those who know nothing of combat that are held captive. After all, it be a dangerous thing to hoard so many ninja in one place without better security than this. Even Sakura plays at the idea that she could probably break her way out if only her chakra would comply.

' _I wonder why they keep so many. Is Gaara more compassionate towards women? Does he actually use them all as hostages, or…?_ '

As her thought turns darker, the rosette quickly shakes her head. He looked to be well off in that department with his small harem ogling him in the town.

' _Not Gaara._ '

As time begins to slowly pass with minutes turning into hours, Sakura preoccupies her mind by trying to make a mental list of all she wants to ask Gaara, and tell him. She drags a hand on her back, trying to brush away the sweat, but stops her fingers when she recalls the blue mark on her skin that Chiyo had mentioned.

' _I wish I could look at it,_ ' she thinks while poking at her skin.

She recounts Chiyo's words that perhaps the mark is draining her power. Yet, as she sits here, she feels nothing different within herself except the exhaust that the body goes through while sitting in this humid heat. Hours pass again, and as the rosette counts how long its probably been, she realizes it is possibly late into the night already or within the early hours of a new day. To which, she sighs.

' _I doubt I'll be seeing him soon then. Not_ _until_ _at least morning..._ '

Despite how uncomfortable she knows it will be, she lays her head against the wet, hard ground and seeks sleep. The task, as simple as it sounds, becomes harder for her as her thoughts begin to drift back to her recent times with Gaara.

' _He'd probably be waking me up right now to get Kakigori,_ ' she thinks. ' _...and he'd be so sad when I tell him Tsutomu would have closed shop by now._ '

She smiles softly at the idea and lets her eyelids fall as she tries to visualize Gaara's toothless smirk. Yet, the more she dwells on Gaara, the happiness he once brought begins to turn into sadness. He is still with her, she tries to tell herself. That, soon, she will be speaking to him once again. Yet, at the same time, there's a constant nagging in the back of her mind telling her she has lost the little boy forever.

Gaara may be the one and same boy she held close in her arms, but there's an ache within Sakura knowing the man she waits to meet will not be the child she loved. As the thought lingers, she sighs. Perhaps, this was the tribulation she was bound to endure once she returned to her own world. That the redheaded man, in her world, would meet her gaze thinking very little of her when she knew him as a child so bound by her side through love.

' _At least this Gaara_ _has the same memories as I,_ ' Sakura thinks.

Eventually, sleep does find her. It is a restless one with the faintest of noises, and the aches on her body from the ground, waking her to move from time to time. It isn't until footsteps draw closer and closer to her cell does her body and mind involuntarily rouse her from her deep sleep. She draws near towards the bars of her cell; watching a guard and another draw up towards her. Through the darkness, she cannot catch their faces, but thinks it unimportant as, instead of stopping at front of her own cell, they move on to one next to her.

' _Another prisoner?_ ' Sakura thinks, trying to look at her through the darkness.

"Ah!" a new voice suddenly speaks, and even if she can't see well, Sakura catches vibrant, blue eyes staring at her. "Looks like I made a new neighbor."

Despite the dismal place around them, this new girl speaks with a skip in her voice.

"Hush," the guard tells her. "You know the rules."

"Yeah, yeah..." the girl mumbles.

Before the guard locks this new girl in she is presented with a small basket. Though Sakura cannot see, the round shapes and citrus smells give away what the girl is receiving from the guard. Sakura's stomach growls with want, after all, it's been quite some time since she has eaten. Though Kankuro had made, Sakura did not touch his soup before he sent it tumbling over the table.

"You're lucky she likes you so much," the guard scoffs before passing off the basket and locking the cell behind him.

"Right?! I aim to please!" the girl quirks.

The guard's next words come out harsher.

"No talking," he reminds her.

It isn't until the guard walks away, passing by Sakura's cell, does the rosette sigh and return to the ground.

' _Guess_ _Gaara_ _still isn't back yet,_ ' she thinks with tired eyes and a tightening belly.

Through her lidded eyes does Sakura watch the shadow in the cell next to her move around before loud, eating sounds are heard. Sakura grimaces at the girl's grotesque and boorish-like noises.

' _She eats as loud as Ch_ _ō_ _ji_ _does_ _..._ ' Sakura remarks in her mind, watching the shadow now drag her finger over one of her fruits.

Sakura catches those blue eyes again on her emerald orb. Through the bars does a mikan suddenly roll towards her and Sakura scrambles herself upright before quickly picking the fruit up. Sakura makes a nod of appreciation to the woman who simply gives her a thumbs up before continuing to down her other fruit.

Sakura's teeth immediately inch towards the citrus fruit, her stomach growling in anticipation. Yet, she stops almost instantly as she feels some light carving on the skin of the fruit. Sakura pulls the orange fruit back from her mouth and stares at it. The light from the lamps help Sakura none to read what has been etched onto the fruit. Yet, as she traces her fingers over and over the markings, she is able to decipher each character in her mind until an understandable sentence forms.

" _Don't ever give up._ "

Encouraging words. Perhaps this girl sees Sakura as new and therefore her will weak. However, the rosette is quite the opposite, and does not return the woman's blue gaze on her before taking a large bite from the mikan. Even if she feels the stare long on her, and the sounds of eating only coming from her then, Sakura keeps her eyes away. It isn't until Sakura finishes the fruit does she spot the shadow of the other woman scoot closer towards the bars that separate them.

"Thank you," Sakura whispers, staring at the blue eyes still shining through the dark.

Sakura opens her mouth to ask more but stops when the shadow of the girl suddenly pushes away from the bars and instead turns her back towards Sakura. She quickly lays down, making the rosette confused by her actions. Yet, as Sakura hears footsteps approach close to them again she realizes the woman probably masks herself. Sakura even wonders if her soft voice was picked up by a guard and now they come to give her reprimand. She quickly stands herself as a guard stops by her cell and stares long at her. Sakura's heart races in anticipation, the man's silence helps none, she is eager to know…

"Come on," he tells her.

It's like her heart pauses and a breath is lost. Him unlocking her cell now could only mean...

' _He's here,_ ' Sakura thinks.

It feels like a dream as the door opens and the guards sandwich her as they begin marching her down the hallway. As soon as she is able, Sakura quickly recovers herself and turns to look at the woman who offered her that fruit one more time. She meets blue eyes again but they fall from Sakura's gaze in an instant and her back faces her once more before the rosette can give her any sort of thanks. Despite knowing she cannot see, Sakura gives the woman a nod of appreciation as her stomach no longer wails.

The walk back through hallways and stairs seems much longer, but Sakura again holds her breath as she spots the daylight through the mountain's entrance. As she passes through back towards the jungle, she blinks towards the morning sun slightly hidden by gray clouds. A mist has formed around the ground again and there is a slight freshness in the air that Sakura can both feel, and smell.

' _It must_ _have rained here last night_ _,_ ' Sakura thinks before her eyes begin to travel past the guard in front of her in search of another.

A distance away are two other figures, and Sakura becomes slightly disappointed to see that neither of them have red hair. Despite this, the brunette of the two offers her a small wave and a small smile while the blonde crosses her arms and sneers once more.

"We'll take her from here," Kankuro tells the guards in an authoritative tone that actually catches Sakura off guard.

Yet, if she recollects correctly in her memories, it is the same tone he used on her when she was captured back in that small town. Not to mention, the men there had called him captain. To stay in that home, as he described, would mean he has some higher rank and closeness to Gaara. Those thoughts dissipate the moment he takes a cloth and wets it with what appears to look like fresh water.

"Here," he tells Sakura while nodding the fabric towards her. "It was probably hot in there."

Sakura is hesitant at first. She remembers he is an enemy, she remembers that he has drugged her once before, she remembers his mind is is not stable. Yet, her hand reaches for the fabric when she remembers the little boy who was happy when she had told them they would be friends forever.

As Sakura wipes the dirt and stickiness off of her face, Temari speaks.

"Quit your baby bullshit, Kankuro. Let's get up there quick."

Sakura pulls away from the cloth as she feels cold hands clasp around her hot skin. She is dragged again by her arm but protests immediately against Temari's pull. To which the blonde scoffs.

"You're coming with us," Temari orders.

A smirk finds the blonde then but it is devious and intended with ill intent.

"There's  _someone_  who wants to see you," her grin grows.

That sentence alone makes Sakura's heart skip again, yet she keeps her narrow gaze set.

"I don't plan on running," Sakura reminds Temari. "I want to speak with Gaara, there's no reason for me to run at this point. So, there's no reason for you to drag me like that anymore."

Temari's grin falls and she instead bares teeth to show distaste. Yet, before she says anything, Kankuro takes a step closer towards Sakura's backside.

"I-I'll watch her, Temari," he offers. "You can lead the way."

Temari snorts before turning from the two.

"Whatever," she spits. "You'd be foolish to try anything now anyway. Take a good look around you, it's the last you'll see of anything."

Despite her words, Sakura only keeps her eyes set on Temari's hair once the blonde leads. In her mind is the recollection of the crying girl who only wanted to wear her hair down.

"You should wear your hair down," Sakura tells her as she follows her steps. "I think it always suited you better anyway. Or, is it you're still mistaken as your  _uncle_ by Gaara?"

Sakura's words cause a pause in Temari's steps, and both Kankuro and Sakura watch as Temari stands still for a moment before she balls up her fingers.

"You better figure out how to keep stupid remarks like that to yourself. Gaara doesn't have a sense of humor."

' _But then...he never really did,_ ' Sakura muses lightly.

His child self was playful, but only occasionally, and the older self she knows has never cracked a smile in front of her. Despite this, Sakura keeps quiet and follows as soon as Temari picks her feet back up. Sakura takes a peek behind her and is offered a gentle smile upon gazing up at Kankuro, but she is a little disheartened to see that he has decided to adorn paint on his face today.

"Everything will be alright, Sakaasan," he tells her as her gaze lingers.

Yet, he swallows hard after his words, and within his real eye is a pool of worry as he looks at her. As her stare lingers, she recollects yesterdays events and allows her steps to slow and march closer near Kankuro.

"Are you alright? Is Gaara upset with you?" she asks.

Kankuro's eyes widen for the moment and he stares at Sakura with a troubled look.

"D-Don't worry about me," he says while forcing a grin. "Him and I will talk later. He's more concerned about you at the moment. "

Temari, a bit ahead them, scoffs.

"Concerned," she mumbles, finding humor in the word.

Kankuro speaks to conceal his sister's snicker.

"Just..." he begins, unsure of what to even say. "Don't run, Sakaasan. Do not run. If you run, he will chase you."

Familiar words, and they are so fresh still in her mind that her steps pause for a moment before continuing. Perhaps, some darker things from Gaara's younger self still manifests today, and the idea makes Sakura swallow hard. She had taught him to overcome it and had even watched him stop himself before.

So, why does Kankuro warn her like his father once had, and why does he do so with such a concerned face?

So many worry for her sake; meanwhile she worries for the man she is about to see again. She worries that he will tell her a troubling tale that Shukaku's voice had returned as soon as she left. She still worries for the little boy she pictures in her mind despite the world telling her to fear the man she is about to meet.

"Did he ask anything specific about me?" Sakura asks, looking at Kankuro again. "Does he think me an impostor?"

Kankuro's lips twist and he stares in front of him for a moment before whispering.

"Not to me..." he mumbles out. "As soon as I told him, he said to keep you here until he was back. He just got here this morning and asked us to bring you out."

Kankuro takes a quick sniff before his eyes narrow towards the mist that clouds around their feet.

"I think he didn't expect you to be up in the mountain. He looked irritated when Temari mentioned that we would go get you from there."

Though he may have tried to hide it from her, Sakura is able to see Kankuro cast the back of his sister a concerned glance. He must worry for her as much as she does him, and it makes Sakura speak out.

"I'll tell him not to be upset. I don't like being caged up, but I suppose I can understand the precautions you all use. I've heard about people taking up my appearance."

Kankuro's eyes widen to Sakura's voice and from Temari do his eyes slide back to the rosette. He quickly forces out a grin.

"Nah. Nah. Don't worry about us! He's probably just anxious, you know? I'm surprised you're so calm right now, Sakaasan. I gotta confess, even my heart is racing. I'm...glad Gaara gets to see you again."

Another smile and before Sakura can return it or speak, Temari calls out to her brother.

"Kankuro," she murmurs, warning in her tone. "Watch what you say from this point on."

"Ah!" Kankuro beams, his eyes scanning the cliff side they walk along. "Right."

Kankuro falls silent and any questions or remarks Sakura has after that is met with short answers or a smile and nod. She eventually takes the hint and allows herself to, instead, delve into her mind than speak.

' _ _I wonder why they don't talk anymore,__ _'_  Sakura thinks. ' _ _Are we that close to Gaara that he can hear us?__ '

The sounds around her are of nothing but birds and distant cries of animals. As they travel farther up the rocky path of a cliff, the closer they draw near a giant waterfall and its loud, rushing waters drown about everything Sakura can hear. Still, she is led up in silence until they finally reach the top. Sakura's eyes widen when she is presented with a small meadow. Though not voluptuous in flowers, it homes nothing but green, and tall trees loom in the distance. It's a beautiful sight but Sakura recalls that under all this green and rock is a prison that may hold people from her home.

She, at first, doesn't notice that her next few steps go past Temari and the two siblings linger behind her while Sakura stares at her surroundings. In front of her is a green, open land. Next to them is the large, loud waterfall, and if she peers out behind her she can overlook the vast jungle and spot the giant house in the distance. Never in her life did she imagine islands such as this were within her world, and wonders what sort of fortune the family that once lived here had.

' _ _Maybe a__ _ _D__ _ _aimyo...__ ' she thinks.

She takes a few steps forward towards the meadow before realizing the two that brought her here do not follow. Sakura turns to them with question in her look. Yet, as Kankuro offers her a soft smile while Temari is passive, a realization dawns on her.

Past the trees is nothing but mountain that leads to an ocean. A dead end so to speak, which could only mean…

"Don't run, Sakaasan," Kankuro whispers, stealing back her gaze.

The pair jump away then. Using their chakra now, Sakura senses them rushing back down the mountain and leaving her behind.

' _ _Gaara is here?__ ' Sakura quickly thinks, swallowing hard before turning towards the trees within the meadow.

Her senses pick up nothing and the only color she spots is green. The scenario doesn't seem to change for minutes that makes Sakura grimace.

' _ _Another trap?__ ' she wonders.

In time the thought is dismissed, and the amusement she had before meeting Gaara wears thin.

"Seriously?" she mumbles, irritated. "I'm not doing this all over again."

She approaches the trees and as her steps grow heavier, she calls out.

"I'm not here to play games!"

She stops just at the entrance of the many trees, eyes still glancing for another being. Yet, her senses pick up nothing.

"Come on," she whispers to the trees. "I just want to talk."

She stands there, waiting. The stillness of the world around her makes her heart beat faster while making the situation all the more puzzling in her mind. Perhaps, Temari had convinced Kankuro that they should just kill her and now she is just standing there waiting for an attack. Perhaps, she could use the situation as a benefit for herself; Find a way to escape and let Kakashi know where his men are held. Perhaps…

Her thoughts still suddenly. She is frozen in her spot and a gasp leaves her the moment a hand slides into hers from behind her. In that instant, memories flash within Sakura's mind.

" _ _I'll let you hold my hand, if you can catch it that is.__ "

Sakura can see herself saying this to a little boy who stands before her, guarding himself from her recognition. Another flash, and she can see his toothless smile brightening her spirits as he wraps his hand within hers.

" _ _I caught it!__ " his young voice echoes.

She wonders if the same scenarios swim through his mind now since, like her, he does not move, does not speak, and only rests his palm against her own hand. It's as if he tests the waters again like he did at his young age. His hand is so much bigger now that it could overtake hers with ease. The skin of his hand is also more rough, which is obvious to come with any ninja, but it's just enough to make Sakura suddenly miss those small, soft, delicate fingers that would tie into hers. Despite all this, she knows exactly who it is his who reaches for her hand now.

"Gaara," Sakura gently whispers.

The man who stands behind her now is someone she has been warned about these past days. A killer, she has been told. A murderer, she has seen with her own eyes. A leader, his brother boasted. A monster, her mind tries to convince her. Fingers should not entwine with a monster's sharp claws for it will tear at the skin and dye a hand red. Pull away, Sakura's mind continues to warn her.

However, her heart speaks differently.

The man behind her is the boy she loves. He is the very same she shared laughter and smiles with. There is a bond between them her heart is not yet ready to break; A drive that she can fix him, that she can change him, that he is simply misunderstood just as much as his younger self was. That the man behind her is just, once again, looking for one person to understand him and his lonely plight. She wants to still be the friend that he saw her as at his young age.

Heart overshadows mind, and slowly she squeezes his hand.

She sighs, content, when she feels his hold tighten along with hers. The embrace between them is enough for her to cast aside all the ill she has heard of him. This is her friend, Gaara, and it seems he views her the same way as he keeps her hand clasp with his. He is still the good boy, and great man, she knows him to be.

She turns to face him and does so by not breaking his hand from hers. Gaara, it seems, is just as a keen at keeping their connection, for he maneuvers his arm gently along as she turns. As their eyes meet, Sakura can see Gaara's teal gaze widen briefly. Whether it is shock of her standing before him, or if it's her appearance that hasn't changed despite the years, that surprises him she is not sure. As his eyes linger on her, his mouth drops a little, as if there is much he wishes to convey, but instead drowns at the sight of the being in front of him

For Sakura, seeing his older self is a little disheartening. She knew it was a man who reached for her hand but had still hoped she would be turning to face a young child. With her hand still held by him, she studies his features with a steady face.

' _ _He looks no different...__ ' Sakura thinks.

It's been some time since she had an opportunity to see the Gaara of her world. Yet, the resemblance is exactly the same. Alas, it also makes her wonder what she was expecting. Perhaps it was the view people told her of him that made her wonder if she was going to turn to face a scarred up militant. Looking more closely, perhaps this Gaara is a tad bit bigger in build, and the wrinkles above his nose are a bit more visible.

' _ _He's kept those angry eyes,__ ' Sakura sadly thinks as she stares more at that vivid wrinkle.

Yet, in the end, he is much the Gaara she remembers him to be. It is then Sakura offers him the smallest of smiles; something that makes Gaara's eyes widen all the more.

"Gaara," Sakura begins. "I-"

She stops suddenly, breath stolen away, as Gaara leaps for her and wraps his arms around her frame. He pulls her into a tight embrace; resting his head against her shoulder. In a flash in her mind, the young child appears again, pulling and holding her for a desperate hug.

"Do you realize how much I've wanted to see your smile again?" he whispers. "I've missed its brightness so much."

Sakura's eyes widen to his voice, and the story Kankuro had told her, about a boy wandering lost in the desert looking for her, comes to mind. The image, along with Gaara's desperate hold, is enough to make the corners of her eyes wet. Sakura tries to free her arms from Gaara's hold, to return his heartfelt hug, but stops when she feels Gaara's grasp only tighten to her small squirms.

"I knew you'd come back to me one day," Gaara says; lifting his eyes and face up from Sakura's shoulder to her chin. "There's no way you'd break what we once shared."

His hold grows constricting and Sakura's struggles become stronger as she tries to break free from his grip.

"Gaara," she hisses and winces at the hold. "Let go, you're hugging me too tight."

Yet, her request is ignored, and Sakura's eyes narrow as Gaara begins drawing his face ever closer towards hers. As soon as Sakura looks into his gaze now there is a mockery in his look and he shifts his mouth over hers while holding her close still.

"Look how young you still look," he coos while tilting his head to gaze into her eyes. "It's been so long. What will you give me for making me wait?"

Sakura gasps and eyes widen when she spots the direction Gaara's mouth is now moving towards. For the moment she is in shock at Gaara's intruding approach.

' _ _What the hell…?!__ ' she thinks.

Quickly, she brings a leg up an attempt to kick Gaara back. She doesn't manage a hit, but what she does manage is a sudden wall of sand to explode between her and Gaara, and its force is strong enough to send her flying out of his arms and back away from him. In that moment, as she pushes herself back up against the ground do the warning and stories she has heard about this Gaara suddenly resurface and brush away the clouds in her mind. Her hopeful wishes turn into dreadful facts, and Chiyo's words ring in her mind.

" _ _He's not the child he once was, Sakura. He's a grown man now. He no longer needs someone to tell him what he is doing is wrong. He chooses this path, he chose to harbor__ _ _the__ _ _Shukaku's darkness.__ "

' _ _No!__ ' Sakura thinks, pushing those thoughts aside. ' _ _There has to be some good in him!__ '

She narrows her eyes towards Gaara but gasps when she sees his body gone.

' _ _He's fast!__ ' Sakura finishes that thought with her hair suddenly gripped tightly from behind.

She cries out as she is pulled upwards by her hair. She grimaces as a malice laugh suddenly echoes in her ears before Gaara rests his cheek against her own.

"That copy ninja is getting pretty desperate, isn't he?" Gaara speaks, his mouth's movement rocking Sakura's face along with his. "How many of you do I need to kill before the message becomes clear to him?"

Sakura gasps again and her eyes widen with realization.

' _ _He thinks I'm a fake.__ '

"Wait!" Sakura cries, her hands reaching and holding Gaara's own that are tangled in her hair.

Her eyes meet with Gaara's own the moment he pushes his face forward and tilts his head at her. For the moment, as they lock eyes once again, Sakura falls silent in thought.

' _ _There is good in him,__ ' she repeats in her mind, trying to convince herself.

Her silence, however, seems to say something else to Gaara, and her eyes go round when an uncharacteristic grin spreads across his face.

"Well?" he ushers her along. "Let me hear it. I  _ _want__ to hear it."

Sakura says nothing and only narrows her eyes in confusion at his words.

"Your life," he answers her her silent questioning. " _ _Beg__ _ _f__ or it. Ask me to spare you. Tell me you will join up with me and reveal all those useless secrets you claim to know."

With one hand tangled in her pink hair the back of his other hand gently traces down Sakura's cheek.

"I wonder," he snickers. "Just how far you'll go. The last one was willing to-"

Sakura pulls her face away from his touch before angry eyes return to Gaara. Her actions must be a rare one he is not use to, for he stills himself as his eyes widen to her movement.

"Gaara!" she quickly speaks. "It's me. It really is me. I'm the r _ _eal__ Sakura!"


	47. Chapter 47

Sakura's confession is met with silence and a lift of Gaara's brow bone. Fingers are still tangled within pink, soft locks, and he uses them to hold her face up to his. He staggers behind her, but despite looking at her upside down, his teal gaze never wavers as he attempts to read Sakura's own stare.

Her hands still hold his wrist that is within her hair, but she attempts nothing at pushing him off of her. Instead, she tries to read the confused expression he gives her now. She is dishearten to learn that his eyes, now, mask his inner feelings. His child self was an open book of emotions while trying to hide them from her. She had taught him that sharing how he was feeling was therapeutic. Yet, as she can find nothing in his teal gaze now, she realizes he has regressed with that lesson.

"It's me. Sakura," she whispers again.

She uses a sincere tone in hopes Gaara does not mistake her confession as a plea. However true her words may be; his stare does tell her that he's heard that sentence before as a beg for life by those who tried to replicate her. As the grip in her hair tightens, she speaks again.

"Gaara, it's me. I even know-"

Her words are left unfinished as Gaara suddenly slams her face into the hard ground under them. Sakura hisses at the pain while trying to push herself back up from his weight.

"Don't you dare," he suddenly seethes at her with a hate that stings like venom.

Sakura gasps as Gaara forces her head back up by her hair.

"Don't you dare say you are Sakura to me!" he screams.

Another gasp escapes her as she feels the force of Gaara's hand pushing her face back down towards the ground and threatens to dig her skin against dirt and rock again. Despite the pain, a realization hits her then and there is the faintest of hurt within Gaara's demand that Sakura picks up.

' _He cares_ ,' she thinks.

Before he can slam her face into the ground, Sakura throws her hands down and uses her raw strength to dig her fingers past grass and into the deep dirt under her. She pushes herself back against Gaara who doesn't let up his force.

That bond people had warned her about Gaara destroying still exists. Through his anger, the one she brewed, now does Sakura know that the friendship and closeness they once had lingers in his mind just as much as hers. It may be hate that keeps Gaara binding that bond close to his clouded heart whereas her actions are through love, but one thing is absolutely certain to her.

There is a bond left unbroken between them.

Now, if she could just convince him that she really is Sakura. She feels his weight press down harder against her head, and her arms begin to shake with a threat of folding under her and losing to his strength.

"It's true!" she cries out, wincing.

To her words she feels Gaara press more of his weight down on her. Without chakra, he tries to show her that he can overbear her with just the smallest amount of his strength.

"I know I don't look any different and I know that they've used my face to send people after you-"

"This time is  _no_  different!" Gaara rebuttals with a hiss and pushes down harder on Sakura.

Sakura cries out as the force of Gaara above makes one of her arms falter down to her elbow. Desperate, she focuses on her chakra despite the failed attempts she's had at it.

' _Come on,_ ' she thinks. ' _Even if it's for a second, just that flicker..._ '

She gasps once she feels the faintest of sparks, and quickly focuses that small burst of strength to her hands. It's enough to overpower Gaara suddenly and she does so by pushing herself quickly back up with a loud cry. Her sudden burst of strength must surprise the man holding her for his hand in her hair suddenly untangles itself from her locks, and he cautiously jumps far back to watch her from a safer distance.

Meanwhile, Sakura takes a moment to stare at her hands, flexing them. She grows frustrated when her chakra remains silent to her internal call. Even that small burst is gone.

' _Maybe the more time I let pass without using it, the easier it is to at least get a small burst of it..._ '

Still, it's not enough, this isn't how her chakra should be responding to her. She settles a hand on her back and narrows her eyes in frustration. Yet, as soon as she hears the young man behind her take steps that circle around her she dismisses her thoughts and focuses that frustration towards Gaara.

' _One problem at a time,_ ' she thinks.

She turns, making Gaara stop his steps and meet with her gaze. With eyes narrowed, his expression is still one Sakura cannot understand, but she returns his stare in silence.

"What was that?" he asks.

There's a glint of amusement in his eyes as Gaara asks Sakura that question, but the rosette watches it diminish the longer she remains silent.

' _As long as he thinks I have strength to push him off of me like that, he might just stay back,_ ' Sakura thinks, brushing her forehead slightly.

A dangerous bluff, but she realizes she has no better choice than that at the moment. She watches as Gaara's eyes narrow all the more towards her and wonders if her silence peeves him. It could be he can see through her as well, and understands her quietness and small motions now are her devising up a plan. Yet, she keeps her ground; quiet and unmoved by Gaara's dangerous look.

"Answer me," he orders her.

A demand that makes Sakura fall back and envision when she first met the man, in front of her, as a boy. Demanding and one that wanted to be in control; just a few words that defined the boy when she first met him. He had once told her to hand over his kakigori when they first set out for the sweet treat. More than not, innocent enough since he didn't act out when she showed him the error of demanding things. It would be later, as he was training with his father, telling her that she could not leave him, that Sakura would sense a more darker side for his desperation to control. His shorts words, quick tone, even the gaze he gives her now makes Sakura sigh. It is enough to tell her the boy has cast more of her teachings aside.

' _It's like I'm starting all over again,_ ' Sakura sadly thinks.

Yet, the boy is now a man, and lessons are a lot harder to push through a mind that has been cemented with a tall wall of lifetime beliefs. Not to mention, the more disheartening thought of all is…

' _Where did everything I taught him go? When did he forsake all that he promised to keep?_ '

Her eyes narrow towards him more and she clenches her fist. This man and her had shared so much together, many days for her while years for him that she wonders if, in the end of all this, they can share a hug once more. First thing first…

Gaara's eye twitches as Sakura's hard frown suddenly becomes a smirk. Her look boasts the confidence she always carries when showing off her strength.

"My power," she finally answers him. "Don't you remember it? It was more than enough to get through your sand."

She falls back to instances in the past, ones she hopes Gaara has not forgotten. It is all she has now anyway to convince the man in front of her that she truly is the Sakura he knows her to be. Her heart beats faster when that glimmer returns to Gaara's eyes. However, it only lasts a second before it fades away behind the darkness in his eyes, and his response to her words is an angry gaze while he grinds and bares teeth towards her.

Recognition, she can see. Yet, it also is one that either irks him or pains him to hear. It could also be that she speaks it, one that he views a fake, and the anger of her telling him who she is returns to him. Before he can speak, or strike, she continues.

"Also got a good hit on your dad once," she murmurs, examining her fist while doing so.

Again, that moment comes to mind, and she finds it almost humorous that she had knocked that man down thinking he cared nothing for Gaara when in actuality he had kept her there to protect Gaara from those who attacked. Sakura turns to look back at Gaara. She is surprised the rage from before seems to have diminished within him. His eyes are still narrowed towards her, but his expression is blank once again and he simply stands straight while watching her. Perhaps...even waiting on her.

Sakura wonders what goes through his mind now. Are these few instances enough to convince him, or are these stories he hears over and over and over? Is it possible that the assailants who used her face were able to learn and tell these same stories to Gaara? Is her tactic now one that he has seen before? It is hard to tell, but Sakura does her best to fall back to only times the two of them shared together. Ones where only she, and him, would know about.

"Do you remember the time we built snowmen in Konoha?" she asks him then, sending him a genuine smile. "I had broken it down with just a flick of my finger."

Like the snowman, she flicks the air in front of her in Gaara's direction. Still, he stands still while staring at Sakura as the woman now waits on him to speak.

"Perhaps..." she says, breaking down in time as the tension rises. "You don't remember."

As Gaara still remains quiet, Sakura feels frustration build inside of her once more. He is no longer the child she needs to wait on, and this scenario now should not be played like a game. If he has an answer for her, a response, he should be speaking to her now instead of standing there like a mute.

"It would make sense if you don't remember," Sakura tells him. "The Gaara I remember, who listened to what I had to tell him, would have never turned out like you are now."

She narrows her eyes, her gaze strong on him as his eyes widen momentarily to her words. Yet, his face contorts quickly, and her heart beats faster as she watches his shock morph into amusement on his face. He lifts his chin towards her, his smile growing and his eyes mocking her once more.

"Ha..." he drags the word out.

As he stops and takes a step toward Sakura, the grin on his face still shines. He brings his hands out beside him in a display that throws Sakura off-guard a little. The boldness he carries in him is something she knows the other Gaara of her world to have as well. Yet, how they each outwardly show that confidence is both drastically different. This Gaara, to her, almost seems full of himself. A vain man.

"That's quite the assumption," he tells her.

Sakura takes a step back to his approach, something Gaara notices and quickly halts his movements. His grin falls then and his eyes return to a thin gaze as he straightens himself out.

"Don't claim that my mind has forsaken all that Sakura taught me," he tells her while stretching his arms out. "After all, all of  _this_  is the outcome she envisioned of me."

Sakura's jaw drops then. All of this senseless fighting, deaths, and war he claims her to have predicted him to lead? His words outrage her then.

"Liar!" she cries with eyes ablaze. "This was not what I was trying to teach you."

Gaara humors her for a moment, the smugness showing in his face as he relishes in the fact that he will best her with his next words.

"It seems,  _Saku_ _r_ _a_ , the one who has abandoned the past is none other than yourself."

Sakura opens her mouth to retort but stops as Gaara holds up a finger towards her to silence her.

"Was it not  _you_  who aforementioned that I would be a great leader one day?" he asks.

As quick as the familiar phrase comes out, Sakura bites down on her lip hard. It's true she had said these words, but she had done so with the thought of him as Kazekage, not a militant.

"And did you not make constant claims I would become a great man, a strong ruler, and that everyone would follow and look up to me one day?"

Sakura cast her eyes down; disappointment settles within her now. Where she would never take back those words, she is disheartened to learn this Gaara has taken her vague encouragement and sprinkled the words just right to justify more into him that what he does now is his right, chosen path.

"I-!" she cries, bringing her eyes back up to him.

Yet, Gaara cuts her off and points an accusing finger towards the rosette.

"You!" he yells, frustration in his breath as well. "If it is anyone it is  _you_  who has disowned your own words."

Sakura is at a lost for words suddenly as she takes this information in, and it seems Gaara notices this while bringing his arm slowly back down. Silence follows until Gaara smirks and snickers lightly.

"If you really were Sakura, you would be proud of the man I am today. Of everything I've accomplished."

He casts his eyes to the side of him and stares longingly in the distance. He stares out towards the falling sun, forgetful of the scenario around him for just the moment.

"You were suppose to always be proud of me..." he mumbles more to himself, but loud enough for Sakura to catch.

Gaara goes quiet after that, and Sakura takes the moment not to fall back on how her words misguided him, but instead of how he labels her now. She isn't sure whether he is humoring her, himself, or if his mind teeters back and forth, but he places her on both sidelines in believing she is the real Sakura and a fake. Perhaps, if she can push it more, she can convince his mind to view her who she truly is, if at least for the moment.

"There were so many times when I was proud of you, Gaara. As a child you accomplished so much while I watched you."

As the rosette speaks these words does Gaara slowly turn his blank stare back towards her.

"You had so much darkness in your heart that I was so proud when the day came that I looked down and saw a sweet, happy child. The one who was able to push Shukaku's dark echoes and listen to my whispers instead. The one who was selfless towards his friends and siblings, and the one who came to me when he was unsure of what was right or wrong. The one who, despite all those who hurt him, had still the slightest need in his heart for a friend."

Sakura swallows hard as the child appears in her mind and, despite the danger, she closes her eyes shut pretending the boy is right in front of her now.

"You were so full of love, Gaara."

As she opens her eyes she can spot that glint in the eyes of the man in front of her. Despite that, her frown is sad as she looks at a man now instead of a child.

"When did your love turn the world to hate? When did you forsake everything I taught you?"

She is only answered with a hard stare; a small breeze sweeping his red locks across his forehead.

"When did you break your promise to me?"

Sakura is surprised to be met with a small sneer but it melts away as he twists his head down to the side and thought overtakes him for some time.

"The only promises broken are the ones done by  _you_ ," he mumbles, bringing his eyes back up towards Sakura.

Sakura takes in his words, not only because she tries to fall back to the promises he claims her to have broken, but because she can hear, through his words now, that his mind shifts her more to be the Sakura he once knew. There is not longer her in his speech as he speaks about Sakura, instead, he refers her now as  _you_.

He mistakes her silence; thinking she finds his words false or she can't recall.

"You promised you would be by my side  _always_. Yet, you ran the moment my back was turned," he sneers again.

"No," Sakura quickly counters with a shake of her head. "You're wrong. I didn't run I..."

She slows her speech and darts her eyes at the ground under her.

' _What do I say?_ ' she wonders.

The truth will sound so improbable to Gaara that she worries it will counter any convincing on him she has done thus far. She does not want him to think her a mad woman despite the reality of her scenario. Yet, the lie he even pins on her now seems too painful for her to say and without the man retaliating in some way. As she looks up at Gaara, though cold still on the face, his lips are pursed and his eyes strain on her; he waits for an answer he has probably been searching for fifteen long years.

"I..." she begins, shutting her eyes as she tries to make a decision. "I was...called by another."

She blurts out that last part. Vague answer, but it is closest to the truth Sakura is willing to go and she pushes herself to say more before regretting her decision.

"I followed that call, and I became blind to see what was happening to the world, and you, these past fifteen years!" she cries out more towards the ground.

As she looks up at Gaara, she is not surprised to see his face unmoved. After all, her reply is expressed unclear and there is still deep mystery to what she says. How could you not understand what the world has been going through all these years, she assumes him to wonder. How did you avoid being captured when everywhere you were a face of war?

How could you have left me behind?

"Everything happened so fast..." she tells him, her eyes locking onto his again. "There was still so much I wanted to share with you. There were still so many more hugs and smiles I wanted from you."

As her stare lingers on him she can feel the moisture in her eyes begin to well up. While she wipes away a drifting tear Gaara shuffles on his feet.

"I wanted you to become someone better than this!" Sakura calls towards him and gestures her arms towards him.

Her action makes Gaara glower towards her. Meanwhile, Sakura wipes whatever moisture is left in her eyes before returning his hard stare.

"That's why I'm here now," she tells. "This ugliness you've put the world into. This cruelty you've done onto others including your siblings. This atrocity you display yourself as. It all has to stop now."

Sakura swallows hard, waiting to see if Gaara will speak. When he doesn't, and only continues his hard stare, she continues.

"I stopped you once before and I will do it again now!" she calls out towards him. "But I believe there is still some beauty in you, Gaara. I knew a child so full of hope and love that I'm sure there stands a man now in his place who can stop himself from doing anymore damage."

Sakura tightens her fists after her words, hoping that only that little bit is enough for Gaara to take a step back and recount the actions that have led up to this moment. Yet, Sakura is shocked when she is met with a cheeky smirk and gaze. Gaara snickers for a moment before speaking.

"You claim to be blinded these past fifteen years and then choose to stand before me ridiculing my drive to end this war? You think  _I'm_  the bad guy because I took out a town full of my enemies?!"

His sneer appears again.

"Open your eyes, Sakura. Don't think those rebels and their leaders haven't done anything just as equivalently bad as you claim this war to be."

Sakura swallows hard then and realizes there is some truth to Gaara's words.

' _No,_ ' her mind counters. ' _Chiyo-baasama and Baki claimed Gaara was out of control. Even Kankuro and Temari's mentality in all of this mess is warped. Don't let him fool you!_ '

"They've had the option for a long, long time now to end this war. They are the ones instead who choose to let all this fighting drag on by refusing to hand over what it is  _I_  want."

Sakura's eyes widen then and she can even feel her ears twitch a little to what she is hearing.

' _There's been an option,_ ' she wonders.

Yet, the price to end war may be worth fighting for till the end. No one had relay to her what is was exactly Gaara sought besides taking over the world. Even Kankuro had skipped over that detail.

"What is it you want?" Sakura asks.

Yet, as she questions this, that smugness on Gaara's face returns and he simply smiles at her with a shrug of his shoulders.

"Ah, Sakura," he hums. "Like I said, you're just as blind now as you claim to have been these past fifteen years."

Sakura takes a step back disgusted by Gaara's display, and it shows on her face while she stares at him.

"What the hell has happened to you, Gaara?" she sneers. "You're almost as loathsome as your father first was. There is nothing about you now I remember you to be."

Sakura senses a sensitive nerve struck within Gaara as she says those words. The amusement and smile are wiped off completely from his face as angry eyes, and a hateful scowl, appear on his face. He becomes quick to retaliate.

"Don't claim me any different!" he cries at Sakura then, teeth flashing. "I strived to be where I am today. The man you always alleged me to be. A leader!"

"This isn't what I wanted for you!" Sakura cries back. "Never did I want that little boy I loved to become a monster!"

Gaara's eyes flash then and he tilts his head somewhat while staring at Sakura.

"A monster?" he whispers.

Sakura stands there in silence, watching Gaara's eyes stare out past her. He seems lost within himself, but the rosette pays it little mind the moment she feels wind suddenly cascade around them.

"What's happening?" Sakura asks herself.

Her eyes widen as a dark aura suddenly suffocates her. Looking back at Gaara, she can see the wind, and grains of sand, begin to pick up around him. Her eyes widen at the sight.

' _Just like at the town,_ ' she thinks. ' _When Gaara and Kakashi were fighting._ '

"Sakura," Gaara calls out to her, drawing her attention in with his uncanny tone. "Do you still think of me a friend?"

Sakura is quiet; distracted instead by the dark feeling she senses as well as the sight in front of her.

"Sakura," Gaara tries again. "You still love me right?"

His eyes grow wider, his head slants more, and the sand on his feet begin to cake and layer onto Gaara.

"What is this?! What are you doing?!" Sakura instead asks, taking a step back from his figure.

Gaara shakes his head slowly.

"Even if you abandoned me, I still first thought you as my friend still. I worked so hard to become the man you said I would be. Most of this I did with you in mind."

' _Something_ _big_ _is about to happen,_ ' Sakura thinks. ' _I sense so much power. Could it be…?_ '

Sakura swallows hard and backs slowly away while still keeping her wavering eyes on Gaara's own deranged, wide ones. As sand begins to coat his face, and the wind around them grows stronger, he tells her one last thing.

"Sakura, I still love you."

She can hear his words, it even stops her for a moment to fall back one the child. Yet, she shakes off the memory a second later and dashes for the mountain trail behind her. Her goal now is to get as far away from Gaara as possible, and she attempts this by running down the path of the mountain as fast as her legs can carry her.

Yet, she knows it all in vain the moment a giant claw wraps tightly around her body.

' _Shit!_ ' she thinks. ' _If only my chakra._ '

Her eyes widen, mortified, as the claw carries her back up the mountain with swimming grains all around them. Once back, the giant claw turns her over to look into the eyes of not only Gaara's, but of another being who is far from human.

"Shukaku..." Sakura whispers, eyes shaking.

She glances between Shukaku's giant form and back up at the man who who sits leisurely on top of the bridge of the monster's nose. Gaara's own hand is out, fist clenched, just as Shukaku's claw is while holding her. Through movement, they are connected, and the rosette is breathless as she stares up at the blue markings that begin to slither and paint Gaara's skin. Even his eyes, now, seem to brighten the longer she stares up into them. Her eyes wince as Shukaku's hot breath blows into her face, the giant's heavy breathing in sync with Gaara's own as the man stares down at her from his perch.

' _Did he learn to control the Ichibi's power?_ ' Sakura wonders, a feat she only knows Naruto and Killer B to have done.

Sakura cries out a little as the claw raises to bring Sakura up to where Gaara looks down at her. His own hand motions the caw, and as he grins, so too does the monster he sits on as its dirty fangs grow taller than the trees around them.

"Sakura," Gaara speaks.

Yet, along with his own voice does Shukaku's rumble along. The echo of the monster trembles the scenery around her and the rosette begins scrambling then to free herself from it's sharp claws and deathly grip.

"I asked, do you still love me?!" Gaara cries, Shukaku's own voice in sync with his.

Yet, the question is one that flies over her head. Not to mention, it is one she would need time to dwell on. Does she love Gaara? She loves the boy he once was, and would probably claim to love his older self had he just turned out to be the man she was hoping him to be. Yet, now…

Instead of an answer, her silence instead propagates an answer within his mind as she stares angrily at him. With time, does Gaara's own grin and amusement dissipate from his face. There is confusion in his look first before an anger overtakes him. He bares his teeth at Sakura, and Shukaku's form does the same with its yellow fangs, even the lowest of growls emit from them both.

"You promised!" Gaara's voice suddenly rings out. "You promised you'd always love me!"

Sakura is actually surprised to see an emotion she can recognize on Gaara's face; anguish. Yet, it is only for a second before that rage returns and the rosette cries out as she feels the sand claw begin to squeeze her too tight.

"You said you'd love me forever, no matter what!" Gaara practically screams down at her.

Shukaku's voice still echoes with Gaara's own, and the beast's loud roar then shakes the ground under them dangerously. Gaara stands himself now; his breathing heavy and frantic as he stares at Sakura under him. Before long, he begins to shake his head as he watches the woman struggle and cry out against Shukaku's tight grip.

"No..." Gaara eventually murmurs. "No, no, no, no!"

He stomps his foot like a child and Sakura winces to look back up at him and his gestures. She can hear, and feel, bones in her body begin to snap under the pressure. Rage still veils Gaara's eyes, and he grits his teeth while taking in Sakura for the moment.

"There's no way your Sakura!" he manages out. "You're not  _my_  Sakura!"

Sakura cries out as she is flung violently towards the tall trees suddenly. The force of Shukaku's throw is strong, and too fast, for Sakura to overcome. Instead, she cries as her back collides with the hard wood and her breath is stolen as her body tumbles from branch to branch until she finally hits the hard ground with a loud thud.

She moans as she seeks out the strength to pick herself back up while Gaara, and Shukaku, still cry out in the distance. Her limp body is forgotten for a moment as Gaara begins pacing on top of Shukaku's head, his hands hitting himself lightly in the head as he continues to yell at himself.

"She's not Sakura," he repeats, trying to push away any doubt that is left. "She's not her! Sakura wouldn't break her promises. Sakura would be proud of who I am today. Sakura said she'd love me forever!"

The young man suddenly jerks and bends over in pain before clutching at his head and hair.

"No," he whispers. "Not now. I can control it. I will control it. I control  _you_  now!"

As Gaara begins his own mental struggles, Sakura catches her second wind and she pushes herself up while looking at the beast, and man, from a distance. Her breath his heavy and she winces at the smallest of movements. Shukaku's powerful, crushing claw before its hard toss of her has done tremendous damage to her body. Despite the broken bones she feels she looks out in determination at the waterfall she has landed near and draws closer towards the mountains edge.

' _If I just land in the water right..._ ' Sakura thinks, desperate to get away now.

She worries the tall waterfall will kill her, but worries more about the beast that snaps at her. It is her courage that pushes her forward and she takes a deep breath before pulling herself over the edge and into the rushing water. She winces her eyes as the winds, and water, pick up around her from her fast fall.

' _I will survive this,_ ' she tells herself, preparing her body for a dive despite her crying bones. ' _I will escape this place. I will fix all this. I will return home. I will-_ '

Sakura gasps as she feels that sand claw return once again around her small frame and loses hope as the pool at the waterfalls end grows farther and farther away as she is pulled violently back up. She digs her fingers into the sand in one, last effort, to have the beast release her before she is forced face first, just inches away, of Shukaku's sharp fangs. With Gaara on top of its head still. he leans in toward Sakura as the monster draws his face closer.

"Don't think I'l-amose!" Gaara and Shukaku's voice rumbles, loud like thunder, at Sakura.

Through her heavy breathing does Sakura's eyes grow wide while trying hard to understand what exactly Gaara has just told her. She looks back up at the man who seems to be struggling with himself as he stares at one of his shaking arms. The dark markings that cover his body begin to reside and pale skin returns. She watches Gaara, fascinated by this struggle before she catches sight of him mimicking a movement of toss. Once again, Sakura is released by Shukaku with small toss that she still lands hard to. This time, she stays still as she lays face first towards the ground. There is not even an ounce of strength in her now to turn over and look back to see what what is happening to Gaara. She strains to speak, but finds she can only make the softest of sounds now. Instead, she lays in the grass, but with new knowledge that makes her question.

' _Can he still not control Shukaku?_ ' she wonders. ' _Does he not have a grip on it like Naruto does?_ '

An immense amount of chakra and power resides within Gaara. One that she is sure he has been using in this war. Yet, a dangerous factor comes into play with all of this knowledge she has gained. What would he do if he lost control like he did in his younger years? Should she assume that is what is happening now?

Sakura's thoughts vanish once she feels a hand grip at her shirt, and she is flipped over to meet Gaara's angry, teal gaze. The immense power from before seems to have vanished, Shukaku and the sand as well, and Sakura watches silently as Gaara breaths heavily before picking her up off the ground by the collar of her shirt.

"Don't you dare think-" he begins, but stops once he catches a soft sound emitting from the rosette.

Smallest of noises with her faint tones barely heard. To the unknown, they would mistake Sakura's soft noises now as whimpers. For Gaara, he hears a familiar song he wouldn't have ever heard were it not for Sakura. Above that, a love he would have never learned about, that follows him everywhere still, is with him because of Sakura.

Anger flashes through his eyes from her humming. Yet, so also does confusion, and he is left standing there holding up Sakura's limp body while trying to catch his own breath. Catching a second wind, Sakura musters her strength to speak. Though slow, she grips Gaara's wrist, a futile attempt to get him to let her go.

"You haven't heard your mother's song in a while, have you?"

Perhaps, two loves follow him.

A sharp gasp comes from Gaara then and his eyes widen while taking in Sakura's limp form. He is quiet, save for his breath, as his eyes dart all over the damage he has done to her body. It isn't until Sakura forces a small smile in his direction does he force his composure to return.

"No more of this absurdity," he suddenly tells her. "I'm done."

Before she can steal another glance of his or speak, Gaara releases his hold and lets Sakura's back drop with a thud. He turns from her and walks away as Sakura lays there contemplating what it is she can even do next. It is only a few steps taken by the redhead before another duo jump forth. Sakura's eyes widen briefly as Kankuro and Temari suddenly appear next to each of her side. She can even feel Kankuro steal a gaze at her form while she looks up towards the sky.

"Do you want us to get rid of her, Gaara-sama?" Temari asks, watching her youngest brother continue to walk away from them.

To her question Gaara stops his steps. He take a moment to consider what he wants.

"Just put her back in the mountain," Gaara orders. "Let her rot in there with the others."

"Hai," both Kankuro and Temari reply.

Temari's voice speaks more loudly than Kankuro's. It isn't until footsteps by Gaara are heard again do the pair move to help Sakura up. Yet, at the pull of her arm, Sakura cries out in pain.

"Don't be rough, Temari!" Kankuro bellows at his sister. "Sakaasan is in pain."

A silence falls after his words and a new tension suddenly rises as Temari's eyes shake slowly and look back towards Gaara. Kankuro, too, swallows hard as his wide gaze settles towards Sakura's tired eyes once he realizes his slip-up. Gaara's steps had halted with Kankuro's words, but he has yet to move. Still, it is easy to spot his hands now clenching tightly; knuckles white.

' _Have they upset him?_ ' Sakura wonders. ' _Is it because he called me Sakaasan?_ '

Yet, in time, does Gaara's fingers relax. He turns his head somewhat in Kankuro's direction.

"No..." Gaara murmurs, losing himself in his thoughts.

The three behind him watch as Gaara points a finger at them.

"No," he repeats. "Bring her back to the building and tend to her wounds. She's probably hungry, get her something filling. Let her rest."

"Hai!" Temari and Kankuro agree again with a bow.

If there is shock, the only one to visibly show it is Sakura. Yet, her voice is lost to fatigue, and she watches with a heavy heart as Gaara's figure begins to fade away with his many steps.

"Come on, Sakaasan," Kankuro whispers to Sakura, lifting her gently before Temari helps to place her on Kankuro's back. "I'll fix you up."

Temari, through this ordeal is quiet, but as Sakura catches her gaze on her from time to time, she can see both confusion and shock and Temari's orbs. Yet, Sakura pays them, nor anything else any mind. Instead, she looks back out towards Gaara as her eyes struggle to stay open.

"Gaara," she whispers.

The boy in her mind appears again and tears make their way down her face once she realizes the boy she truly loved is gone. Instead, now, is a monster, and she blames it for taking away her Gaara. Worst of all, she feels somewhat responsible for letting that monster steal him away from her.

"Gaara, I'm sorry," Sakura repeats before resting her head against Kankuro's back and shutting her eyes.

Darkness envelops her.


	48. Chapter 48

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My friend made mood-boards inspired by Gaara and Sakura in this story. She's read chapters ahead and knows their future relationship in a way, so the boards might be spoiler-ish, but they are also kickass and I want to share them with everyone! You can check out her Tumblr, [**bian-cunt**](http://bian-cunt.tumblr.com/tagged/my%20work), and see them there.

Within the abyss she feels a warmth. The heat gradually grows and becomes overbearing, suffocating, and begins to turn into an uncomfortable ache.

"Damn," Sakura mumbles; a blush spreading across her cheeks.

This sensation is not new to her. It began in her teenage years and carries along into her adulthood. Sometimes, it's easy for her to ignore. Sometimes, she busies herself just enough to let that small flame burn out and then forget it was even there.

But sometimes the fire runs wild.

A feminine moan echoes loud, long, and desperate within her darkness.

' _Was that me?_ ' Sakura wonders; too afraid to speak lest the sensual noise slip out again.

She casts her eyes all around her and twists her lips when she spots nothing in this world of black. As odd as it is, as out of place as she is, she is not bothered by this unexplained void. Instead, what bothers her most, is the craving her body is having. Its way of telling Sakura its wants makes the young woman blush all the more and wrap her thighs tighter together.

"Sakura."

Sakura's eyes widen to the familiar voice and she spins her head quickly around to face him. He smirks at her when their eyes meet. A trait she has only seen him do a few number of times. Yet that small smile, and his dark eyes that burn some sort of want and need as he looks at her, is enough to make her body demand she feed her craving.

' _Sasuke-kun._ '

She opens her mouth to greet him; to ask him where he has been all this time and to apologize that he has caught her at an awkward time. Yet, as she opens her mouth, a loud moan escapes again that catches her off guard, and quickly she clasps her hands over her mouth; beyond embarrassed.

' _Was that really me?_ ' she wonders again.

As hungry as she is, with an appetite that doesn't call for food, she knows her composure is better than succumbing to lustful wails and moans. She looks back at Sasuke just to see if he's reacted to her moans. She is caught off-guard when he suddenly appears right in front of her; his small smile never faltering as he slowly reaches for her.

"You know I'd never forget about you," Sasuke answers Sakura.

A question she asks only in her mind, but suddenly logic doesn't seem important right now to her. It doesn't matter to her if it makes zero sense that Sasuke speaks about her thoughts. Instead, what she focuses on now, is how wonderful Sasuke's lips suddenly feel as they press against the skin of her neck.

"Sakura," Sasuke purrs kiss after kiss. "You taste so delicious. I want you so bad, if you'll let me."

Sakura remains silent still, focusing on his gentle kisses that now trace across her collarbone as the ache below grows. She shuts her eyes as the lustful sensation builds. In her growing years these imaginations only ever involved Sasuke. Though, she had made a pledge to hold out even on him until she knew he could return her deep feelings, right now her needs blind her and she is quick to wrap her arms around Sasuke's neck as he places his own hands on her hips. She sighs as his fingers begin to lightly brush at the bare skin under her shirt and his warm kisses continue around her face and neck.

"Please, let me have you," he begs, making Sakura heat up all the more. "There's no other woman I want than you. I'm sorry I made you wait this long."

Sakura opens her mouth to tell him he better be sorry, but to also explain to him how bad she needs him now too. Yet, another passionate cry rings out as she opens her mouth.

' _What is wrong with me?_ ' she thinks for a moment.

Another cry of pleasure echoes, and Sakura's eyes widen in confusion when she realizes that noise did not come from her. The moans and lustful cries begin to grow louder, and Sakura takes a moment to step away from Sasuke who only watches her with a smirk and hungry eyes.

_Now_ , it all makes sense to her.

Sakura sighs, annoyed. This isn't the first time this has happened to her. This time, as she opens her mouth, her own voice breaks through the other sounds around her.

"This is just..."

Sakura's eyes open wide and she stares out into the darkness within the room.

' _...a dream,_ ' she finishes the sentence in her mind.

As her blinking eyes adjust better to the darkness she takes in the foreign furniture in front of her. She curls tighter into her bed as aches and pains suddenly shoot up within her body. It doesn't take her long to remember where she is, and where this pain comes from.

' _Gaara,_ ' she thinks, recounting what had happened earlier.

To the thought of it all a question comes.

' _What next? Try again. Keep trying again if nothing works?_ '

She has to she thinks. For a little boy's sake.

She curls tighter into her blanket, yet doing so makes her realize the effects of the dream is still there. There is a need and heat within her and she quickly casts off the blanket as her face reddens. She is fully awake now and uses her free hand to slowly push herself to sit up. As she does this, she winces at every bruise and sprain she feels throughout her body. Even her right arm has been bounded by some wrapping and immobilized by an arm sling.

Sakura gently uses her free hand to touch at her right elbow and hisses at the pain there. It's no wonder she is in a sling, but she also grimaces at the fact that, if her chakra just cooperated with her these aches and wounds could be treated in a snap.

' _Do they not have a medic here?_ ' Sakura wonders.

Yet, if she thinks about it, the way she has been treated thus far, it's probably a stretch she is even waking up in this home and in a bed let alone thinking they would use their medic on someone Gaara considers an enemy. Sakura turns her eyes towards the window, listening to the patter of light rain drops. She stares out into the darkness as her thoughts begin to drift.

' _Of all the times to have such a dream..._ '

She blinks, wondering if stress has done this her.

' _Sasuke-kun… I wonder if you even know where I am now._ '

A loud moan suddenly bounces off her walls, and the noise sounds so near that it makes her actually jump lightly in her spot on the bed. She turns her head quickly towards the source of the sound and is surprised to see her door cracked slightly open. If she strains her hearing she can make out a few breathy sounds and light murmurs. Her blush deepens as she paints a scenario in her mind that matches those noises.

' _It's no wonder I had a dream like that. I guess somebody here is at least making best of what they can through this war._ '

Slowly, she drops her legs down to the floor from the bed. It takes her a moment to adjust to the aches, and tired limbs, but nonetheless makes her way towards the door to shut it closed. Yet, she stops just as she takes hold of the knob and realizes the light that shines bright is from the room right across from hers. As she cranes her head out more towards the hallway she realizes the couple forsakes to shut their own door as well. The idea actually makes Sakura grimace a little.

' _Do they want everyone to hear?_ ' she thinks.

Call it what you'd like. Sakura would deny all accusations being labeled a pervert, but it is a tantalizing, sensual moan from the other room that makes her crane her head more forward before she tiptoes towards the other room for a closer look. She blushes once she peeks an eye into the room and spots the bare back of a naked woman. The woman's arms are spread out upwards and Sakura wonders for the moment what sort of bondage keeps her limbs in place like that. Sakura's eyes widen when she hears the slither of sand and before she can even place the idea in her mind, the same grains she hears slither around the woman's arms and begin wrap around her hourglass frame.

Sakura looks away then, but her ears pick up one last sensual moan.

"Gaara-sama..."

Sakura covers her ears then and the blush on her face deepens. Instantly, she is reminded of the time her and Gaara had caught Baki and Annaisha in the kitchen. Now the unsuspecting is non other than Gaara himself.

' _He's a man now_ ,' Sakura thinks. ' _Still, this is all..._ '

It's mind-boggling to say the least. The transaction from her world's Gaara to a child version of himself took some time for her to adjust to. Now, she has to go and transaction back not only to his older self, but that of one that is so different from the one in her world.

She shakes her head of the thoughts once she realizes she still lingers in the hallway next to the door.

' _Now would not be a good time to speak with him_.'

Not to mention, she isn't sure she can look at him anytime soon without falling back to this situation. Instead of returning to her room for refuge she quickly, and quietly, makes her way down the hall and towards the stairs of the home. Her clueless trail eventually leads her to what she believes is a dining room. She stops short of the long table and stares deep at the fine dishes that once decorated the table with detail and shine that would brag of the riches this family once had. Now, their shine is gone as they have become layered with dust, moisture and time.

' _What am I doing here?_ ' Sakura thinks as her eyes trail back to her holstered arm.

She roams a home of one that caused her all this harm on her body and she does so nonetheless with little worry. She knows, that thought itself, is all wrong. She should be angry, she should be trying to find reason within Gaara, or if not that at least a way off this island. Yet, at the same time, her thoughts fall to the children she once took care of and their image makes her eyes narrow.

She holds back for their sake; she stays to bring out the good she knows Gaara has in him.

' _I changed him once,_ ' Sakura thinks. ' _Even if he is able to break every bone in my body now, I will change him again._ '

Sakura's eyes suddenly widen as her hearing catches another muffled moan. Her head quickly turns towards the direction of that lustful noise above her and she blushes. The noise comes from a new girl and a new room. Sakura realizes Gaara isn't the only one who seeks sexual relief within this home. Yet, the idea makes Sakura shake her head.

"What is this?" she asks. "Am I in a brothel or something?"

Yet, she wonders if the woman's cries from Gaara drive other people within the home to seek some sort of pleasure, after all, it even infected her in her sleep. That, or the stress of war drives them to this point. Whatever reason, she seeks another room, trying to further herself away from those cries. She passes by the a living room of sorts, but stops and retracts her steps once she realizes another being is awake within that room. She watches, silently, as Kankuro's occupies a cushioned chair. His attention set entirely on a map that he studies hard.

Despite their odd, reuniting encounter, Kankuro has shown her the most kindness. Despite the person he follows and what Gaara has done to her, Sakura strolls into the room in a means to approach Kankuro like a friend. Kankuro flinches as soon as her figure strolls past him. Not expecting anyone, he quickly rolls up the map in his hand and stands as soon as he spots Sakura as she walks herself over to the love sofa.

"Sakaasan," he murmurs while he stands and watches her.

He is quiet as he watches her get comfortable and even flinches some when her eyes meet his. He worries the repercussions that both he, and his brother, have done to her will paint him in a different light in her eyes. Yet, as she smiles in direction, he feels the stress of those thoughts, as well as a breath he was holding in, suddenly release.

"Ah," he speaks, stepping towards her. "Are you alright? You should be resting…"

Sakura shakes her head.

"I'm alright right here. It was becoming too noisy upstairs."

Her smirk tells him that she making light in the situation, but it doesn't stop Kankuro from blushing and turning his eyes away, embarrassed. He hears just as much as she does.

"S-Sorry about that..." he apologizes. "You've been out for two days now, Gaara probably thought you wouldn't wake up anytime soon, you know?"

Sakura lets that information sink in as she stares out in front of her.

' _Two days?_ ' she thinks, almost in awe. ' _Biju's are so powerful._ '

It's not new information to her but it still puts her at awe that there are those that harbor such a powerful being, like her friend Naruto.

' _...and this Gaara,_ ' she thinks.

"I-I patched you up as best I could. I'm sorry if I did a messy job of it. All of our medics are out helping the fight up north or back at our base."

Sakura lets those words sink in as well. There has been a long fight up north apparently, and also, another place they call base. She imagines that's where most of Gaara's army occupies.

"You have a base?" Sakura asks, her eyes turning towards a window. "Then why do you choose to stay in this dirty home?"

Kankuro sighs to Sakura's interrogating questions but as he sits back down to study the map in his hand, he see's no harm in telling Sakura minor details.

"Usually I stay here just in case we have any problems occur in the mountain. If I'm not here, one of the others like Temari are, or sometimes we just rendezvous to discuss are next plan of actions."

Sakura's eyes narrow as she stares harder towards the window, listening to the rain grow harder.

"When you claim most of the world there's a lot of places you can go to."

She can hear Kankuro's words and feel his eyes suddenly settle on her.

' _He's trying to glorify this to me,_ ' she thinks as her eyes scout at his map instead. ' _They have a lot more houses like this apparently yet..._ '

"So, why are all three of you here now?" Sakura asks, eyes turning to Kankuro. "Shouldn't one of you be helping the fight up North? Gaara especially since he is leading this mess..."

She is surprised to be met with a grin by Kankuro.

"It would take a lot for Gaara to leave now that you're here. Besides, the captain overseeing up north should have no trouble."

Sakura is surprised at what Kankuro says regarding Gaara and lifts her eyebrow towards him in question.

"I'm so glad you and Gaara got a chance to meet again," he answers her silent question. "I think it went pretty well."

He smiles, despite the confusion that riddles her face. She almost wants to wave the arm in the sling towards him just to show him how  _well_  their reunion had gone. Instead, she uses her words.

"You're joking, right?"

Kankuro's grin turns apologetic and he even forces a chuckle to mask the damage his little brother has done to her.

"He didn't kill you," Kankuro adds. "That's actually good!"

Despite his lackluster argument, Sakura's eyes do widen once she realizes Kankuro's words do say something meaningful.

' _A part of him might think I'm real,_ ' she begins to think. ' _He didn't kill me like everyone said he would._ _Maybe there was an instance I spoke of that no one else had. He still has a connection to me, so if I can just convince him I'm the real Sakura_ _maybe I can still convince how wrong this war is._ '

"You should try to hide that look, Sakaasan."

Sakura's eyes meet back with Kankuro's after his words and she watches as his hard frown and steady eye now scan her up and down.

"W-What?" she asks, a little taken aback.

Kankuro sighs, and his eyes whip around him to make sure it's only them before landing them back on Sakura.

"You're thinking up plans," he whispers towards her. "Unless they're Gaara's own plans, he won't like it if he sees you doing that. He doesn't like not being not in the known."

Sakura nods at the little tidbit of info Kankuro gives her, surprised both he, and Gaara as he claims, have learned well to read people.

"Besides," Kankuro grins; leaning back. "You don't need to worry about anything anymore. I'm sure Gaara is going to take care of you now. Maybe he'll even take you off the island when things calm down. It'll be like the old days."

' _What?_ ' Sakura thinks, baffled. ' _They think me on their side or something?_ '

Sakura slowly shakes her head, and turns to look at Kankuro to tell him how absurd that line of thinking is. Yet, before she can say anymore, Kankuro stops her with his own voice.

"By the way, Sakaasan," he begins before his eyes look past her. "What's that seal on your back for? I saw it while I was bandaging you."

Sakura's heart drops. The last thing she wanted here was for Gaara to realize how weak of state she is actually in.

"I've never seen anything like it," Kankuro continues. "Looks really complicated..."

Sakura reaches towards her back; nails dragging slightly up where she imagines the seal to be. Kankuro suddenly sends a dark look towards Sakura before asking her his next question.

"Is there something inside of you too, like Gaara?" his voice speaks hush and dark.

To his final question, Sakura sighs. No part of her thinks there is reason to keep what knowledge she has of it from Kankuro.

"I don't know what it is..." Sakura admits. "I just woke up with it recently."

Kankuro's eyes widen in surprise, and his hostile aura vanishes.

"I know it probably sounds crazy to you, but I have no idea what's been happening these past fifteen years. I just woke up that day you captured me and learned what has been happening."

"So...then that must mean someone kidnapped you."

Kankuro says this with the faintest of smiles and his explanation even seems to spark some happiness within him that Sakura can sense. He thinks of an excuse beyond her control that may have led to her disappearance. Something within him searches for answer that Sakura simply would not leave on her accord and forsake them.

Yet, Sakura only shakes her head to him. She is well aware what had led her to this point.

"My chakra no longer responds to me, and when Chiyo-baasama examined my back she noticed the seal. It's possible it's draining my chakra," Sakura adds.

That statement makes Kankuro eyes all the wider.

"Then that would mean...in time..."

As his voice slows to a stop, Sakura looks away back towards the window.

' _It's not happening fast,_ ' she thinks. ' _I have time. I will make time to stop this and fix everything._ '

Kankuro suddenly stands himself fast and Sakura blinks up at him as his gaze narrows towards her.

"We have to tell Gaara!" he speaks. "He can find someone to look at it and break it!"

Sakura is about to refuse and to tell Kankuro she will fix the problem on her own, but stops to linger on the idea for a moment.

' _He says he has a lot of followers...Maybe even some who would understand this mark._ '

Kankuro's proposal is enticing but Sakura clenches her fist to keep her resolve strong.

"Please," she tells Kankuro. "Don't tell Gaara. Not yet, at least..."

"But...Why? You're just slowly…" Kankuro counters.

She can't imagine how Gaara would react to the knowledge of that mark on her back. In the end, he may just laugh and scoff at her for acquiring something so foolish on her skin. He would probably chain her up and let her slowly rot. No, in her mind, Gaara would not help her like Kankuro claims and her use of no chakra is information she can't afford for Gaara to learn.

"Please," she begs now with eyes on Kankuro. "Promise me you won't tell him."

Kankuro swallows hard and Sakura knows he battles what to do in his mind now.

"Sakaasan," Kankuro murmurs and takes his seat. "I can't just let you die. Not after we just got you back. Now that you're here we're all together again. We'll be so happy once Gaara finishes this war."

"No," Sakura says, narrowing her eyes to Kankuro's surprised ones. "This war. Gaara...All of this needs to stop."

She feels like a broken record at this point but is also surprised how warped the minds of everyone here has. They see no harm in what they have done and continue to do. She casts aside the conversation of her mark but also notes that Kankuro did not agree to her promise.

"Don't you want all this fighting to end? Aren't you worried for your friends and family out there?"

Kankuro clears his throat for moment and stares deeply at the map in his hands. For the moment, Sakura thinks he may agree with her, but instead he pulls up a smile and looks back up at Sakura.

"Don't worry Sakaasan, it'll be all over soon. Gaara is going to give us a better world, and now that you're here, I have all the my friends and family by my side."

Sakura narrows her eyes to this.

' _Surely there is more to Kankuro than this,_ ' she thinks. ' _He can't only care for the people in this home. He has to have relationships with others..._ '

A flash of light erupts within the sky; making Sakura turn her gaze back towards the window.

"Rains pretty hard around this time," Kankuro offers her an explanation. "I actually really like it, it's a lot different from how Suna was, you know?"

His words suddenly strike Sakura and she turns her head quickly back towards Kankuro.

"Kankuro," she calls to him gently. "I've heard Suna is no more."

She is surprised to watch the brunette curl his lips back tight before he dives his eyes back to the map in his hands. Instead of answering her he remains silent.

"If that is true, is it because of this war? How can you say all this fighting is for the best when you've lost your home?"

Sakura is caught off guard as the faintest of whimpers escapes Kankuro's mouth and he begins to curl his legs and body deeper into the seat he takes. His eye still scour the map. His appearance is like that of a scared…

' _Child,_ ' Sakura thinks.

"Your father, can you really justify his death done by the man you follow now?"

His body curls up more but his eye does turn to Sakura to this question. She watches as his hand gently begins to trace the scar around his glass eye.

"Sakaasan," he murmurs. "What are you doing? You shouldn't talk like this with  _him_  so close by..."

It is then Sakura wonders if these questions had arise in Kankuro once before. His acts and words are baffling, but paint her a picture of a man who has buried a lot deep within himself. He has forced these questions out of his mind to instead blindly follow. Had he done this to himself, to mask the pain he always found? Or had someone made Kankuro this way?

She remains quiet, but as she continues to watch Kankuro trace his scar and glass eye, a darker thought comes to mind, and slowly her jaw drops with a small gasp. She even leans a little towards Kankuro's direction.

"Don't tell me..." she mutters while staring still. "Is Gaara the one who did that to your eye?!"

Her voice booms to that last sentence and she even stands herself tall and looks down at the man who cowers in his chair like a child. Anger begins to boil within her soul; for Gaara has done something she now deems unforgivable in her mind. Not only because he has harmed the one person who was meant to be his closest ally, but also because she wonders if it had come from torment and brainwashing on Gaara's part. Was this Gaara's way of making Kankuro blindly obedient to his acts of war?

Her eyes widen once another figure suddenly appears at the entryway, and she even takes a small step back as his fast stride moves threateningly towards Sakura. Gaara draws up towards her with intent that seems ill, yet, as he presses himself close to her, it is only a scowl he gives her. One that she quickly returns. The silence looms for some time before Gaara turns his head to glance back at Kankuro.

"Kankuro," Gaara speaks with a harshness in his voice. "Straighten yourself out. You are a captain. Present yourself as one."

Gaara's emotionless order makes Sakura sneer and be the one to press herself closer towards Gaara.

"Did you do this to him?!" Sakura barks. "Frighten him to follow you? Is this how you have your army? Do your followers come to you through fear or because you threaten them?"

Gaara's sneer deepens and he even lifts his chin higher to peer down at Sakura instead.

"How could you do this to your own brother?!"

It irks Sakura that Gaara's gaze does not falter even when she has pointed out their relationship. Instead, he keeps his angry eyes settled on her while she does the same in narrowing her own. Instead of answering her right away; he begins to slowly circle around Sakura as he speaks.

"Perhaps this was a lesser mistake on my part. In the end, you picked my poor excuse of a captain to query."

As soon as he returns to her front, Gaara presses his face towards Sakura.

"Just like a typical rebel-spy," he hisses in her face.

Anger builds within Sakura, and she can feel her ears heat up as a boil begins inside of her that threatens to spill over the hot pot. Yet the longer she stares into Gaara's angry gaze, the more the face of the little boy appears. There is rage for what he has possibly done to Kankuro, what he's possibly done to all...but in the end, she wonders if this stems from the life he gained once she left.

' _Had someone hurt him as well?_ ' she wonders.

Was the world unkind to him once more?

It isn't until Gaara leans a bit away from her face; angry eyes dissipating does she realize her face must be showing him all that she wonders and her eyes have forsake a challenging look. It's only a brief moment, but something within Gaara's gaze seems to recollect a time in the past.

"There is no need for that face," he suddenly murmurs, shaking his head lightly. "I live a life now that garners no pity."

Is that the face she had made, she wonders. Does she actually feel sorry for the man in front of her? She delves deeper into that thought, remembering that little boy who cried into her lap just how lonely he truly was, how grateful he was to have her. Her pity stems to the thought of that little boy who may have walked the desert once again searching for that sense of security she had been the only one to bring.

She blinks as he widens his eyes towards her, almost like a warning.

"Admire me, Sakura," he suddenly tells her. "I have done so much for this ninja world. Someday, it will all be  _mine_."

Remembering the child softens her heart but the man before her hardens it. His words make her narrow her eyes once more.

"It is not yours," she exclaims. "We need the leaders we have to balance out the world. What you do now is foolish."

She grits her teeth as he smirks and rocks his head slightly to her words. He hums for a moment before glancing back at Kankuro.

"Yet, here I am now. I've cornered all those against me like filthy rats. They shake in fear while I lay calmly in wait."

His smirk returns to her and his face draws close towards her.

"I'm ready to strike at any moment I wish, and all those against me are well aware of that. They know  _exactly_  what their outcome is to be."

Sakura shakes her head.

"No," she remarks. "They will fight you to the end. I've seen battles overturned. You are a fool to think that things will go your way with certainty like that."

Gaara's smirk falls for a moment and he stares at Sakura. She is surprised to find that he may actually be taking in her words.

"You should consider our conversations now as fortunate," he suddenly tells Sakura while looking down at her with a stern face. "I've never humored a rebel, like yourself, this long."

Sakura narrows her gaze.

"The lucky one is you," she tells him. " _Real_ lucky I don't kick your ass right here and now."

His eyes widen briefly as she surprises him with a smirk next.

"The only fool here is you if you still think me a fake and an idiot as well to think I would be proud of anything you do now."

She stands herself still and tall even as Gaara suddenly grits his teeth and rage burns his bright eyes. Even Kankuro, behind them, watches with eyes of worry.

"You want me to break your other arm?!" Gaara suddenly cries in her face.

"No!" Sakura spits back. "I want to know why you're doing this! Why you think this war has a purpose other than a personal gain for yourself. I want to know what happened to you, and why you've become this way. I want to know what happened to the little boy I loved!"

"That little boy is me!"

Sakura turns her head then to Gaara's cry. She is aware of it, has been told by so many others, but to hear Gaara claim it himself makes Sakura heart quake. It's just another reminder that he is gone. She shuts her eyes then, tight.

' _This is my Gaara,_ ' Sakura continues to think.

Yet, her heart denies this thought.

' _My Gaara wouldn't do this._ '

Her eyes snap open immediately as she feels her hair shift through fingers like a musician to harp strings. She's caught off guard as Gaara plays gently with her pink locks. The notion is uncharacteristic, and he even gazes at her hair like he's inspecting it, nonetheless, Sakura finds the act to be an affectionate one.

Even more so when his gaze shifts back to her own and his look tells her he is lost as much as she is to this situation.

"You left me..." he whispers.

Instead of arguing. Instead of claiming it false. Instead of the truth. Instead of opening her mouth and raising her voice, she listens. She stops herself just long enough to let him speak.

He does so with his fingers still sliding in her hair.

"You left me," he repeats, almost an awe as if recollecting that single moment is something he forced to forget long ago. "You have no idea how much that hurt me."

Sakura opens her mouth to defend her actions once more. Yet, her voice is silent as she imagines the picture Gaara went through in her mind. Still, she wants to tell him, you had your siblings. She wants to remind him of those that he had drawn close to in Suna, and how much better control of his emotions he had become. She wants to remind him that her promises, and love for him, was figurative in the sense that it was suppose to carry him to become Kazekage. Suddenly, blame shifts all onto herself as she remains quiet.

' _I_   _shouldn't have gotten attached to someone I knew I was going to have to eventually leave,_ ' she thinks.

And yet...It is almost comical how similar this whole ordeal is when her and Naruto chased after Sasuke. The attachment should be severed, they were told. She cried all night once for she teetered on the thought that Sasuke had forsaken all the goodness in him. Despite the monster he became, she held on to the bond they once shared and did all she could, along with Naruto, to remind Sasuke of all the good that was still in him.

Like being lost in a dark tunnel; as long as they continued forward eventually the light would be found.

It's a small lean on her part, but one that Gaara can read, and as her head sinks does Gaara's hand snake from her hair to cradle her cheek. Sakura's eyes and mind waver to the gesture. She knows she should step away, she knows she should spit in his face for what he has done. Her body still aches from the same hand that gently brushes her cheek now.

Yet, there is passion in his touch. Everything she claims is buried underneath his dark exterior now shines a little. She keeps her eyes away, but if she were to look she would see the adoration he suddenly holds for the woman in front of him.

"I am that little boy," he repeats.

Sakura sighs once more, trying to let that fact sink in. It's ironic in its own way that Gaara stands before her now trying to convince Sakura of who he is while she has done very little to convince him of who she is.

There's no mistaking Gaara is Gaara, but the man is on edge of who she really is. She sighs again, and places her hand over his own that holds her face. She closes her eyes, still trying to imagine the happy, little boy. What she feels is a cold, rough hand that is double in size of her own.

"This is how I would hold you when you were sad," Sakura whispers.

Her eyes turn up to his, and she is glad to see a flash of recognition in his gaze. He can recall the moments she speaks about. From his touch, she isn't quite sure how far along she is, but the recollection is surely a step forward in him believing her to be the real Sakura.

Her eyes drift as she feels Gaara's hand slowly pull away. For a minute, he is quiet.

As Sakura looks at him to try and understand what goes through his mind now, she catches his gaze shifting around her body. His pupils dance back and forth, and it takes her a moment, but Sakura does eventually realize he is taking in her bruises and scratches on her body. Once his eyes settle back to her she wonders if it is guilt that makes his face pale. He almost looks frightened at the sight of her suddenly.

"Sakura," he breaths, and she is surprised by the use of her name. "Have a seat. Make yourself comfortable."

He turns towards Kankuro and the narrow glare returns.

"Tend to something else for the time."

He doesn't even wait for Kankuro's answer before soft eyes return to Sakura and behind him does his brother quickly scurry off.

"We will eat something, together. We will talk, together."

Sakura's eyebrow raises at Gaara's presumptuous speech. Yet, as rushed as he suddenly looks, even gesturing Sakura towards the couch, she realizes this is what she has been wanting.

He may still be in the darkness, she may not agree to all that he does, and his answers may not ease her heart. Yet, she follows and sits. She is willing, for the moment, to be civil towards this man and listen to what he will share.


	49. Chapter 49

She is left alone for a moment while sitting and trying to make herself as comfortable as she can. Her bruises still ache against the dusty cushions. He had told her to take a seat, that they would discuss certain matters.

' _Certainly not all..._ ' she reminds herself, for she still doesn't believe Gaara to share every little detail with her.

He had raced off as soon as she sat and told her he would bring her something to eat as they spoke. As anxious as she had become for this moment, she bit her lip and let Gaara disappear as her stomach twisted and turned with hungry need. If she were to think about it, she has only ate a mikan these past days.

Yet, her biggest appetite now can only be quenched by Gaara's words.

' _Think about all you want to ask,_ ' she reminds herself. ' _...and don't let him, or your emotions, rile you up. Hear him out until he refuses to say anymore.'_

The moment she catches Gaara stroll back into the room her eyes immediately lift up to his which are already looking back at her. He looks at her with uncertainty resurfacing into his features. He had called her Sakura moments ago, but she can tell he is still wary catching her wearing the mask of the woman who once cradled him in her arms. A part of her knows how pointless it is for him to be so guarded around her since she truly is Sakura. Another part of her can understand judicious acts. As important as his siblings and even himself, claim him to be, this opportunity must be a rare one.

Gaara leads a war once again, yet hides himself from it so as not to be taken out. She is somewhat surprised she is even allowed in this home and not kept within that hot mountain.

His eyes never leave hers once he brings a tray and sets it on the table in front of her. She says nothing while watching him pick up a decorative pot and cup, the kind she has seen on television and in magazines, and pours the tea before carefully offering it to her. Despite the way he holds it, fingers around the handle while cradling the bottom, Sakura reaches for the cup with both hands she is traditionally use to. At the sight of seeing her fingers reach towards the cup, Gaara pulls it away and rebukes her like a child.

"No," he tells her. "You will burn yourself if that is the way you wish to hold your tea."

Sakura brings her hands back, studying Gaara's small grimace as he stares at the table for a moment before setting the tea back down.

"You will wait for it to cool. Then you may drink."

Before she can reply, he once again strides out of the room which makes the rosette sigh. Perhaps, he does this with a purpose, she thinks. Perhaps, he is afraid of the conversation to come and runs away before they can even begin. Looking back at the tea on the table she reaches one more time for it. Despite Gaara's warning, and the light steam that decorates the cold air, Sakura takes a hold of the delicate glass and grimaces that the heat is nowhere near as hot as Gaara had claimed. She brings the cup towards her lips.

…

' _Wait..._ '

Her eyes widen to a faint, chemical odor that is masked with herbs, and she takes a moment to study the contents of the tea for a moment.

' _But this is..._ '

She stares at the tea for some time, lost in her thoughts, before finding a conclusion in her mind.

"I see..." she whispers, before setting the tea back down towards the table.

He is certainly on guard, she realizes. Her strength may be gone, but her senses aren't, and the poison in the drink is a strong one. Perhaps, it was a test for her. Perhaps he remembers the medic she was, the way she worked with plants. Maybe other Sakura's have fallen for this trick. Yet, at the same time, the simple fact that he humors her now tells her there is a bond between them that he hasn't severed. With whatever anger he has towards her, claiming her to have abandoned him, he still keeps her in his home, has not killed her, and even brings her food.

Yet, deep down, she knows this man has done horrible things to her friends.

Sakura's eyes follow Gaara once he enters the room again. This time his eyes stay on the tray in his hands, however, they do waver over her cup of tea as he passes by it.

"Thank you," Sakura comments once he hands her the bowl of rice crackers.

"Of course," he remarks, taking a bowl of his own. "If there is anything you would like all you need do is tell me."

Sakura nods to this, but her focus is entirely on the rice crackers in her hands. She studies them for a moment, even takes a nibble off of one before deciding its safe to take bigger bites. Throughout all this, Gaara watches her carefully.

"Not to your liking?" he asks, noticing her hesitance.

She shakes her head to this, taking even bigger bites now.

"It's been days since I've eaten," she tells him. "I just don't want to rush and upset my stomach."

She looks at Gaara, and her eyes widen as she spots his eyes narrowing in anger suddenly. The bowl he grips, even threatens to break.

"My captains offered you nothing?" he asks with a small hiss.

Sakura quickly shakes her head while wiping off her lips of crumbs. If anything she has learned from being here, it's that Temari is protective of Kankuro, and that Kankuro may, or may not, have been injured by Gaara himself. She is also very, very aware of the anger that Gaara still carries in him.

"Kankuro did," she quickly speaks; trying to dissipate the anger in Gaara.

Her words seem to rock him from his world back to reality and even some anger leaves him once he looks at her. Yet, the pot that boils has yet to simmer, and she can see rage in his eyes. Once again, Sakura is learning to read Gaara.

"The acts of my captains are deplorable. I ask that you not to regard my army, or I, based on how those two acted in front of you. My men are ascetic creatures."

Sakura's eyes nearly bulge to Gaara's speech. She isn't what to first pick at first. His way of speech is off, the fact that he tells her Kankuro and Temari acted terrible towards her, and the way he describes his army as creatures has her all wondering how exactly Gaara views this world and the people around him. Instead of replying right away, she takes another rice cracker from her bowl, her thoughts her own until her eyes land onto the bowl Gaara holds onto. She swallows hard before looking back at Gaara who clutches the bowl close to his chest.

"What are you partaking of?" Sakura asks, nudging her head towards Gaara.

She tries her best to shift her speech. Though she is certain her vocabulary isn't as broad as his, she wants to remind him now that he is speaking to another intellectual. She will remind him, once again, that she is his equal lest he look down on her.

"Ah," Gaara muses, tilting the bowl some before offering to hand it over to Sakura. "Would care for some? Simple cakes."

Sakura eyes the bowl but declines with a small shake of her head.

"I'm alright with crackers, thank you."

"I can bake you something else if you'd like. I'm experienced in baking," Gaara says.

That information makes Sakura's eyes nearly bulge and it suddenly becomes a little harder to swallow her dry cracker. She whips her head towards Gaara in surprise.

"You can bake?!" she cries in surprise.

She watches as Gaara gives her the smallest of nods, never breaking their gaze on one another. Yet, for Sakura, she is again in her mind filled with wonder.

' _Does Gaara in my world bake, or know how? He never seemed like that sort of person. Then again, neither does this Gaara. He must have picked it up from..._ '

Her mouth drops some and her eyes suddenly twinkle in wonder. She knows there is a name she wants to throw out that may be taboo to him, so instead she asks with vague words.

"From when you were younger?" she asks. "You continued to learn?"

To her assumptions he merely shrugs before digging in the bowl and pulling out a sweet bun.

"Perhaps," he tells her. "In all honesty, who is to say where my interest first garnered. It may have come from a time I've long forgotten."

Sakura can't help the small smile as she watches Gaara begin to eat the bun.

"It looks as though your appetite for sweets has gone unchanged."

She hopes for him to look at her with recognition; to recall the child he once was. Yet, he looks away from her as he chews. His face shows no interest in what she says and instead he stares out to the side of him, as if he is waiting for something, or someone, to suddenly appear. Perhaps, these are stories he has heard before, Sakura wonders. Maybe her words now just paint her as the fake he has seen, and heard, times over and over again. The thought makes her smile sadly and eyes fall. The memories they share are personal, and it's disappointing for her that people were able to learn their secrets just to get close to Gaara.

The longer she stays silent, Gaara too only continues to munch on the contents in his bowl. It makes the rosette wonder if he relies on her to speak now to carry out the conversation. Even if he was the one who had promised their would be a talk between them. She pouts lightly as her eyes drift to Gaara's bowl of sweets. She tries to convince herself then that maybe, just maybe, Gaara says nothing and shows no interest merely because the sweet treat has captivated him much like in his younger years.

' _Just like with kakigori,_ ' she thinks, her soft smile returning as she recalls those warm nights eating the sweet ice.

Even if it hasn't been years for her like it has for everyone around her, the first night she convinced Gaara to follow to the kakigori stand seems so long ago now for even her. She smiles at the thought of that night before looking back towards Gaara. Her next sentence finally brings his eyes back to her.

"Tsutomu-san. Is he…?"

Sakura's chew on her bottom lip then and casts her eyes away. She may have spoken too soon as the math in her head tells her Tsutomu has possibly passed by now. If not through his age, war is another possibility that has taken him. Perhaps, he may be like Chiyo or Baki, joining against Gaara. Hopefully her words now…

"That is a name I have not heard in some time."

Gaara finally speaks and it's enough to get Sakura to look back up at him. She watches as Gaara tilts the bun in his hand as if he is examining it and narrows his eyes in time.

"The last I saw of that man was before..." Gaara stops his words then and Sakura is surprised to see him turn a hard gaze towards her.

' _He won't say when?_ ' she wonders, trying to understand his stare now.

She draws back into her mind, wondering what he could be expecting of her now. He waits on her, she is aware of this, and she falls back to the thoughts of the old man.

' _The last he saw him…Ah!_ '

She understands him now, that he wishes for share no secrets of his past. It is, her, perhaps, who tells him something others who have taken her face as a mask have never been able to share before.

"The last time you saw him was with me," she states more as a fact than a question. "Before we traveled to Konoha."

There is a sudden twinkle in Gaara's eye, and Sakura let's out a heavy breath as if she has just answered a trivia question to a small game. His answer to her is a nod but Sakura frowns once more. Gaara catches the sight of her sudden grief, and lifts his chin before addressing her.

"It is possible the old man still lives," Gaara informs her.

Yet, the idea of Tsutomu dead isn't what weighs Sakura's heart in that moment, she is more burdened to learn Gaara has not met the only man who showed him great kindness in his youth for over fifteen years. He was suppose to be one of the few Sakura was sure would help Gaara continue down his path of righteousness in her absence. The thought lingers, but Sakura quickly tries to dismiss it lest the disappointing scenario of Gaara's outcome drives her to anger.

"Nn," she hums while shaking her head. "Tsutomu-san was a good man. He opened his heart to you in a way I tried to convince others to do. I think, wherever he is now, he knew this as well."

Sakura offers Gaara a soft smile.

"I would thank him, if the chance ever comes."

She keeps her eyes steady as Gaara does the same to her and he studies her for a moment before replying.

"That man is someone I would...like to speak with as well. Someday."

The faintest hint of kindness shows in this Gaara again, and Sakura feels rejuvenated at hearing him. She feels she is slowly drawing out the little boy she remembers.

' _There is good in Gaara,_ ' she reminds herself.

Silence follows, and it's a drawn out one as both continue to pick at their food. Though bursting with questions, Sakura had wanted the conversation to be led by Gaara first, but as she steals glances at him, she finally comes to the conclusion that he has put little to no trust in her.

"Gaara," she finally calls to him, nabbing back his eyes. "You have to tell me what more I can say to make you believe I really am Sakura."

Her words make the redhead sigh heavily before he places the bowl he holds back onto the table. When his eyes return to Sakura, she is met with hostility, but his words do also let her know that there may still be a chance he can be persuaded.

"I try to think of an instance, a moment, that we shared. Yet, everything..."

"We were constantly alone at times," she tells him. "I can start in the beginning if you like, I can tell you of the time I found you outside of Suna. I can tell you of stories you may have forgotten about. I can-!"

She desperately rambles, but does stop once Gaara casts his eyes away and holds a hand up to usher her to silence. Her heart sinks once he grimaces and shakes his head.

"All those moments...growing up I treasured them all, but at the same time it felt like poison to my soul. I infatuated myself with the childhood I once had. The deepest kindness anyone has ever shown me came from you."

Sakura is at a lost for her words, hearing Gaara suddenly spill his mixed emotions and watches when he suddenly shuts his eyes as if he is in physical pain. His fingers lace together and he grips his hands tightly together.

"I learned what love was again because of you. It took me years to understand, but I learned what sort of second chance I was given because of you. With you by my side, I knew I could find a purpose in my life that was more than the monster people saw in me."

His eyes flash open, and there is fire in his gaze. He narrows that look straight at Sakura and she feel her soul burn while his grip trembles.

"Sakura," he begins, like a loathsome hiss. "You hurt me in the worst way. They may not be visible, but my deepest scars are the ones on my heart that you placed. Why did you leave me…?"

It's like a blow, Sakura suddenly feels, and she also feels the tension in the air thicken. She is quiet upon hearing Gaara's words, but feels his burning eyes set entirely on her, waiting for her reaction.

Judging by the way he has laced his fingers tightly together, with them threatening to break from his shaking, she begins to think that perhaps the bruises he placed upon her body were more from Gaara thinking her to be the real one than a fake one. Perhaps, he had hurt her because of years of frustration from her sudden departure, not because he thought her fake.

Maybe, it could be a little of both. Maybe it stems from his confusion of her and not being able to place her in a specific category. What is he to do now with the woman in front of him who has brought him both kindness and sorrow?

She jumps lightly when his hands finally give way and his fist hits the couch hard. She can only manage a second, but a few brief thoughts come to mind. He has been waiting for her this whole time, he isn't nearly as patient as he once was. He doesn't seem to like not being in the known; for the fire in his eyes burn more with accusation as she loses herself in her thoughts. She is fairly certain he will place that fist on her body next if she doesn't say something soon.

"I'm..." she begins, eyes glancing back and forth from his eyes to his fist. "Sorry. That is something I can't answer you right now."

She knows it is an apology that Gaara doesn't garner as much as he claims. It isn't her fault he lost his own way, it isn't her fault that she was thrown into the future without a choice.

Yet, she knows it's what Gaara wants to hear, and immediately his brow bone lifts back up. Anger dissipates from him and with it the thick tension. He even brings his hands calmly back to his lap. His gaze turns away from her and he brings a hand up to his mouth. His fingers tap lightly against his lips as if it's his turn to lose himself to his thoughts.

"I had no control over leaving you," Sakura continues. "It's not at all how I wanted our goodbye to be."

Her voice lowers and, along with it, his eyes.

"Especially if I knew it was going to pain you all these years later."

Gaara gives a breathy sigh to Sakura's words and his finger tap a little more feverishly against his mouth.

"Yet...You say there was to be a goodbye. From the very beginning, you planned to leave me behind," Gaara murmurs with accusation.

Sakura narrows her eyes this time; a wrinkle in her nose hearing Gaara twist her words.

"I never planned to hold your hand forever, Gaara," Sakura says.

It is the best she can say for now despite the true reason behind her never being able to stay with him.

"I knew you would one day become the man I envisioned, and I certainly didn't think you needed me to tell you this throughout your life."

Her words must manage something within the redhead, for instead of anger, she is met with calm eyes as Gaara sighs and turns to face her.

"As I said, you left me with words of encouragement that not even my uncle feigned for my part. Yet, your abandonment speaks loudly as well. When it came to you, Sakura, my heart was torn so easily by you. You built me up so high from a broken heart just to tear me back down."

Her eyes narrow once more and her mouth opens to rebuttal once again, yet Gaara's stern gaze, and deep voice, cuts through to her.

"If this is a trick…" he let's his voice trail just enough to earn back her look. "Raise your weapon," he murmurs with almost a need, and he even scoots himself closer towards Sakura. "Raise whatever means they sent with you to use against me. Raise your weapon now, so that I may end this. Because, despite the damage you've done to me, I will not fall apart again because of you."

Sakura blinks, and instantly wonders how many have been sent with her face to hunt down her little friend.

"Otherwise," he continues, placing his hand on top of hers. "I'll indulge in the idea of you being my Sakura."

Her eyes instantly widen and the hand under his grips within itself, making her knuckles white.

' _How desperate he must be,_ ' she thinks as his eyes strain for her reaction. ' _To trust me so easily, so quickly, how desperate he must have been to meet again._ '

Her eyes shake while staring at Gaara, and for a moment, she wonders just how desperate he was as a little boy for her.

" _Th_ _ere's a story of a little boy who traveled the world, searching everywhere he could for his best friend._ "

Kankuro's words ring in her head and she feels the heat in her eyes returning. Even Gaara, whose gaze she still locks with, widens his eyes at her emotional display. For the first time, Sakura wonders,

' _What damage have I done showing Gaara kindness?_ '

Perhaps, though the idea seems cruel, Gaara would have flourished better without her. Iruka words even begin to echo,

" _It's because you love him._ _Worrying for his sake, and wishing him the best is just one of the many things that come with love._ "

' _He searched for me, because he loves me. I'm here now because I love_ _the child he once was_ _. No matter what, even if our views our different, there's a bond between us that is still strong,_ ' Sakura thinks.

For her, the feeling is almost familiar. For there was a deeper love she had in her for a man the world called evil, and now…

"Can I hug you?" she asks with a voice that cracks.

Gaara's eyes widen once again and his hand retracts instantly from hers. Perhaps it's because Sakura's face is obvious to him that she is holding back tears, or because he did not expect her to be this forward. Maybe, through these years, he has pushed those away who tried to get close to him. Perhaps, it has been many, many years since he was embraced with a heartfelt hug. Whatever reason, he is silent as he looks at Sakura in surprise.

The young woman is much too impatient; Gaara's cautious, teal eyes simply remind her more of his child self. She never receives an answer and instead she scoots towards Gaara before lacing her free arm around his neck. As much as she wishes he was small once more so that she could pull him in to be smothered, she instead rests her chin on top of his hard shoulder. Nevertheless, despite his size, Sakura squeezes him just as much as she did his younger self.

There is so much she disapproves of the man she holds, so much pain he may have cause onto others, but she is also aware how reform can come when you least expect it. As much of a lost cause others have told Sakura that Gaara has become, she still knows there is light within in his soul..

"I'm happy you're still alive, Gaara," she settles on saying, for a beating heart still has an opportunity to be swayed.

Gaara, meanwhile, tenses at her touch. His hands remain at his side and he instead lets Sakura lean and nudge her way into his form. She doesn't expect him to return the embrace since she is certain that she garners just a little mistrust in him despite his claims. He may even think this closeness now is some sort of trickery on her part and just patiently waits for her to make her move and attack him. Yet, even if he is stiff to her touch, he doesn't push her away, and the scenario just reminds Sakura more of the child he once was.

"I'm sorry," she whispers into his ear. "You had to wait this long for me. It must have been so hard not knowing what happened to me..."

This time, Gaara does move, and it comes in the form of his hands gently cradling Sakura's waist before he moves his forehead to rest on her shoulder as the weight of her words settle in.

"Sakura," he speaks this time, a pause in between before he says more. "You have no idea how much I wanted you to hold me like this again."

His head hangs low, but he is close enough that his red locks tickle Sakura's shoulder. His embrace isn't as tight as hers, but his deep, quiet voice emphasizes just as much heartfelt emotions as her hug does.

"So long," he says with a quiver in his voice. "You don't know how much I've wanted to talk to you again."

He is quiet after that, but he keeps his hands firm on Sakura's form and his head continues to hang low as minutes pass in silence. Sakura, meanwhile, stares past the redhead and looks towards the dark window while listening to Gaara's breathing and patter of drops against the window glass. Every so often the sky lights up, but the sound of thunder is far off.

It isn't until she feels cool fingers brushing against her thigh is her thoughts broken. She jumps lightly to his touch, and even stares down to where the back of his two fingers had ghosted. From her movement does Gaara clear his throat and bring his head back up. The arms that were against one another slide back to their owners.

"Apologies," he mumbles as his eyes immediately return to Sakura.

"It's alright," Sakura comments, staring at the bruise on her leg Gaara had touched.

Silence returns, and Gaara stares at Sakura while the rosette lets her eyes travel down the many bruises and scars on her body.

"Sakura."

The rosette's eyes return to Gaara's and she is surprised to see the faintest remorse in him. He swallows hard before speaking.

"What I did, I-"

Sakura silence him with a shake of her head.

"Let's not speak of it now," she offers, and smiles towards him.

"Another time then," Gaara tells her. "When it comes, I shall make it up to you. When I can afford to pull a medic away from the battles, I will. I can have them heal you in no time."

Sakura just shakes her head. The irony of his words hit her hard and the mark on her back pops into her mind.

' _Maybe, I can a_ _s_ _k him for someone who is_ _an_ _expert in seals soon._ '

Yet, she keeps that thought to herself.

"Thank you," she says instead. "I'd like to be able to use my arm again soon."

Her playfulness pops out then and Sakura smirks at Gaara much like she had during his childhood.

"I think I owe you a black eye or two."

A tease, a joke of old, and she hopes he recognizes it.

When she first began to tease him at his young age, Gaara had met her jokes with hostilities and a threat. It wouldn't be until much later that Sakura would be able to get a smile out of him and perhaps a tease of his own.

Now, as she looks upon the man in hopes he has retain that joking side of him, she is disheartened to see his lips curl back and a brow bone lift in confusion to her words. Yet, she is more surprised to see him actually contemplate her words.

"You will do no physical harm to me," he says with a stern voice.

Sakura isn't quite sure if he says this because he knows she is aware of his ultimate defense, or he thinks her fighting spirit weak. Yet, before she can figure it out, Gaara shares the faintest of amusement on his face before replying.

"Though, it would be compelling to see your attempts."

Sakura shares a smile even if it is the smallest of humors; she is glad to see it still there.

"The stronger one between us..." he continues, eyeing Sakura once again before he snickers. "Well, as we both witnessed, is clearly I."

Sakura sucks on her cheek then and her eyes narrow as Gaara's grin grows. It seems he finds enjoyment the most making Sakura visibly riled up. His snickers are growing all the louder before she even speaks a word on her defense.

"Fighting is not what I came here for," she speaks over his held back laughter. "I came here to speak with you like we are now."

Despite the gruesome outcome that could have been, Gaara speaks out about their prior incident with a grin still on his face.

"What?" he almost drawls with amusement. "You did not even raise a single fist up even when I threatened you with death."

This, Sakura ultimately has to agree in her mind, is true, and the reason behind it is just as Gaara suggests; that by that point Shukaku's form had withered her down. Yet, Sakura holds it close to her heart that, at that moment, she did not want to harm the boy she still saw in Gaara.

"I'm an expert in taijutsu, and other areas you know nothing about," she mumbles. " _You_ are not."

Gaara's snickers end, and it is only when he gives a long hum does Sakura turn towards him. She realizes she has made a mistake revealing to know more about him than he has told her, all because she knows of his own self in her world, and Gaara lifts a brown bone in wonder. Still, there is only amusement in him.

"Is that so?" he asks. "When you're healed, we shall spar...if you wish."

' _Wait a minute-!_ ' Sakura's eyes widen to what Gaara may be possibly suggesting to her.

"You've trained yourself in taijutsu?" she asks.

His eyes fall and he stares at his palms for a moment while flexing his fingers back and forth.

"Long ago," he whispers, almost in a trance. "It was once suggested that I train my body and not rely solely on my defense."

He looks up at Sakura, a stern gaze set on her and waiting for her reaction. Meanwhile, the rosette recounts that advice with ease. After all, years for him have literally been just a week for her.

"Aa," she murmurs with a soft smile. "I just wanted to be sure you would be able to defend yourself against anybody."

She keeps her eyes away, lost in her thoughts as Gaara's smile turns into a grin with her reaction. She cannot see it, nor would she give it any mind, but it is just enough answer for this young man taking one more step closer in trusting the Sakura in front of him.

' _With this army though..._ ' Sakura can't help but to think in her mind. ' _I guess my advice wasn't_ _necessarily_ _needed._ '

Though, the idea of Gaara being able to fight with hits from his body is a fascinating idea and she can't help but feel eager to see his moves, and even more, spar with the man.

"Ah!" Sakura suddenly chimes, remembering an incident from before.

Gaara's eyes follow Sakura as she shuffles in her seat, and she even clears her throat before leaning in closer towards Gaara. He leans to catch her words from a breathy whisper, and thinks her discreetness means an important message.

"Who was that woman you were with earlier? Are you married now? A girlfriend?"

Gaara's eyes widen briefly before he pulls himself quickly away to look down at Sakura in surprise.

Sakura, meanwhile, offers another gentle smile as she wonders if this is a person she may know. Yet, to Gaara's quietness, and even when he swallows a lump in his throat, Sakura's mind slowly recalls the young men and women who layered his at side when she first spotted Gaara in that small town.

' _Maybe...it's just for show,_ ' she thinks. ' _I would imagine Gaara to be loyal to his lover._ '

"She..." Gaara begins. "Is…a lady for this evening."

Sakura face flushes and she is disheartened once again by Gaara.

"A harlot?" Sakura repeats and hangs her head when Gaara nods.

Though the idea is typically glanced at with disgust and judgment, Sakura keeps her heart open and recalls that maybe the Gaara of her world is just the same. After all, she's heard nothing of him taking a relationship. Still, there's some disappointment in the idea that the companionship he seeks is one that is just a lustful night. Kankuro had told her Gaara was not close to him, or any other, so then the only time he becomes close with another is simply when the night is too long and too hot to bear.

' _It's his life,_ ' she tries to tell herself.

Still, she feels like a disappointed parent hearing this. She had wished Gaara would meet someone who was kind to him and loved him despite his dark heart and troubling past.

' _If that were the case, if he had found someone, he probably wouldn't_ _be the_ _evil man people call him,_ ' Sakura thinks.

Meanwhile, Gaara's eyes narrow towards Sakura, and he gestures slightly with his hand before asking.

"Sakura, were you sneaking glances in my bedchamber?" Gaara asks with a raised brow bone.

From a flushed face do her cheeks redden. She should have known asking this question would reveal her curiosity from earlier to Gaara, yet she had hoped the conversation would have taken a different direction with him revealing to her that he indeed had a wife, and where they would have met, etc. etc.

Her face is all the answer Gaara needs, and instead of reprimand or disgust, he instead smirks and leans himself more into the couch.

"In my mind," Gaara begins, "I treasured you through thoughts from my childhood. As I grew, I basically morphed you into a saint. Yet,  _now_..."

He trails off while craning his chin higher and he looks down at Sakura as she sinks into herself like a caught puppy.

"I'm not some pervert if that's what you're assuming!"

Though Sai and Naruto would argue that she once got caught up in Naruto's reverse-harem jutsu, Sakura roars her words with confidence even with her body shifting in embarrassment. Gaara simply hums and rests his elbows on the couch arm, again he cranes his neck up and eyes Sakura skeptically.

"You say that..." Gaara speaks before humming again. "Still, I do recall a moment when I was young where you led me into the kitchen-"

Before he can say anymore, Sakura points a finger at him and puts the blame on Gaara instead.

"I didn't go in there to peep! The only reason we did was because you were hungry!"

Gaara chuckles before humming to himself again. It seems he has forsake teasing for the moment.

"Is that right?" he asks with wonder. "Perhaps..."

Sakura blinks while thinking on that thought. It's true Sakura's mind is much more fresh recalling those moment, and she wonders of Gaara even believes her or just humors her again.

"It was Baki and Annaisha we walked in on," Sakura continues, trying to refresh his memory.

It happens in a blink of the eye, but Sakura catches sight of Gaara as he clenches his right hand into a tight fist before releasing it. He may try to hide it now as he relaxes the back of his left hand against his mouth, but his eyes dance to the side of him as he recollects a memory.

For Sakura, tension and anger may be building in him she thinks. She is pretty sure his and Baki's relationship have soured since the older man lies his duty against Gaara. As for Annaisha...

"Gaara?" Sakura is quick to ask. "Are you alright?"

It's not a mystery to the redhead why Sakura asks this, both of them know at least one of these people had made an attempt at Gaara's life. Yet, the rosette wonders if the person responsible had really impacted Gaara so much. After all, she is sure there have been many more attempts at it since then; Ones where he even questioned if the woman attacking him then was Sakura herself probably.

"Quite," Gaara responds.

Yet, his deep tone also sends a silent message to Sakura.

" _Say no more of her or that incident._ "

Sakura is willing to give him that. Their discussion of Annaisha happened so long ago in his childhood anyway, yet she is curious of the other.

"I'm curious," Sakura begins, fixing on her choice words. "Do you mind if I ask you a complicated question?"

She is surprised to see Gaara's eyes light up, and his craned neck lowers as he rests his wrist in the air. He is silent, which is just as well as Sakura tries to read his new expression. She immediately falls back to what Kankuro had warned her about to not let Gaara see past her own expressions and pressure her into revealing secrets.

Her thoughts vanish once Gaara holds a finger at her.

"A complicated question I will answer," he whispers in almost a purr. "But-"

And he emphasizes that  _but_  with round eyes.

"-you will allow me one as well,  _and_  an answer."

His request is fair, Sakura knows, but the way he looks at her now, the want in his voice, it all seems ominous. Still, there is an answer he offers, and Sakura is desperate in the agreement.

"Alright," Sakura says with a nod of her head, and watches as a grin spreads once again across Gaara's face.

Sakura clears her throat and rests her free arm on her lap as her eyes find the floor.

"I met with Baki and Chiyo-baasama before being brought here," Sakura begins.

There is a flash of malice within Gaara's look but it quickly diminishes with no one noting it.

"And I also heard there are many from Suna who go against you."

Sakura turns her eyes back towards Gaara; her face as stern as her question.

"I always imagined Baki, and Chiyo-baasama, people who you may become close to one day. What happened?"

Gaara seems almost surprised by Sakura's question, as if he expected something much more bewildering than what she is saying now. Yet, as he ponders at Sakura's words, his eyes turn away as he speaks.

"I can't imagine why you think I would become close to those two. They both were two people who, like so many in my younger years, hoped for my death."

He looks back towards Sakura after that as if it is almost answer enough.

"One was my father's right hand man. If ordered, Baki would have made an attempt at my life like he does today. As for the old woman..."

Gaara's eyes cast to the side of him while he thinks before continuing.

"I suppose I'm grateful for her existence as she was the biggest help placing this great power within me. Instead of taking pride in the powerful being she helped to make, she lets regret cloak her."

There is a moment of silence before Gaara's eyes shift towards Sakura.

"Their choice is their own," Gaara almost spits. "I don't have time to ponder on the idiocy of those who go against me. I would not beg for them to join me now, or ever. Their existence harbors nothing for me."

Sakura watches as Gaara's eyes narrow.

"It  _never_  did."

The answer is simple, Gaara does not know and he does not care. For Sakura, the thought is still disappointing.

"I recall a time you went with Baki to get kakigori. Though I wasn't there, I always imagined that moment stuck with you, since he was another man not afraid to walk by your side," Sakura speaks, smiling at her lap. "And I remember the way you cried in Chiyo's arms, and asking her about your mother."

"Mother..." Gaara's whispers like a hiss.

His voice makes Sakura's eyes widen in surprise and she turns to look up at the man whose eyes now dance looking past her. She has no idea what sort of emotion she has invoked, but Sakura is certain she shakes something deep within the man now through his eyes and voice.

"What?" Sakura asks, her voicing bringing Gaara's shaking eyes back towards her.

"Mother talks to me now. Since you left me, her voice keeps trying to reach me."

Outwardly, Sakura keeps her focus straight on Gaara, but inside her mind is now rattled with questions.

' _What is he talking about?_ ' she wonders.

He tries to explain to her by tapping the side of his head, yet his action only makes him look the more mad in Sakura's in eyes.

"Right here. Her voice echoes at times, but I have yet to understand what it is she is telling me."

Sakura chews on her lip while studying the man in front of her. She recalls the moments in his childhood where he spoke to his gourd like it was a figure, but to claim to hear these voices in his head is a scary thought.

"No doubt, she is proud of what I've accomplished," Gaara continues. "She claimed to do so anyway."

Sakura, meanwhile, can no longer hide her concern. She could perhaps dismiss it in his childhood, thinking him to outgrow such a claim that something inanimate represented his mother. Now, that he is older, a thought comes to her mind.

' _Early signs of schizophrenia?...No. Maybe manic depression._ '

She berates her medical side some and pushes the thoughts away. It's way too early to be putting a diagnosis on Gaara like that. For all she knows, it could just be some type of trauma he gained throughout the years.

"Gaara," she gently calls to him while shaking her head. "Does that not concern you to be hearing voices in your head? You know it's not nor-"

With narrow eyes and teeth that grind, Gaara cuts her off before she can even finish.

"Don't you  _dare_  try to educate me on what is considered the uniformity in our human lives!"

His voice begins to grow, and before Sakura can calm him, he stands himself tall before her and continues.

"Do you know who I am?!" he asks. "Do you not remember what it is I harbor?!"

He leans his face close towards Sakura, and for a moment, the rosette swears she can feel a dark aura begin to manifest in the room.

"Do I have to remind you, Sakura?" he asks with a sneer. "Do you  _want_  me to show you?"

Sakura, once again, tries to speak, but stops as Gaara continues.

"Nothing about me is  _normal_. My father made that apparent that moment I was conceived."

Rage lights up his eyes and they stare Sakura down with a scowl. Yet, despite his quick swing of emotion, despite the threat he has given her, she remains calm for the both of them.

"Never, not even once, did I ever think something about the way you were born was wrong. As aware as I am of the tailed beast inside you, never did I look to that creature to define the boy I took care of."

Her words seem to douse the fire in his eyes but his stare is still long on her.

"I didn't mean to upset you. I won't speak of it anytime soon unless you want," she continues, her stare just as hard on him.

He seems to be calm for a moment, but he is only back to his normal self once she finishes with a nod and more words.

"Thank you for answering my complicated question."

His face still looks down at her and he is still closer than acceptable. He nods as well.

"You are welcome," he says before swallowing hard.

There's amusement once again in his eyes, and Sakura know exactly why; his questions time to shine is now. Instead of tearing her gaze away, she keeps her eyes steady on him. It's a long silence that follows, not an awkward one but instead one they both know is to come frequent the more they talk.

There are boundaries they wish to cross like good friends can. Yet, unfamiliarity has come back since Sakura's departure. There is a rush within their hearts to understand the person they look at now, but they still tread lightly so as not to chase the other away. There is a need to be good friends once more. "Best friends!" They once call one another, yet they are strangers now.

For one, the composure is much easier to keep. She is aware this process to take time. For the other, his next question just shows how desperate he is for her like his child self was.

"Do you still love me, Sakura?"

Her eyes widen, surprised. She had granted him a complicated question, but had thought it to concern where she had been these past years, or what information he could garner knowing she had ties now with Kakashi. What surprises her most, is the almost sad look he gives her as she holds back her tongue.

' _I love what you once were. This you, now, I do not know,_ ' she thinks.

Yet, her heart disagrees. It reminds her that Gaara's eyes are still the same as they were when he was child. Only an appearance of him has changed over the years, it isn't fair for her to retract her love now. Her thoughts put her in a light daze, but she quickly comes out of it once Gaara brushes the back of his hand against her cheek, placing a lose strand behind her ear. His gaze on her still never breaks, and he looks down on her longingly. The last time he placed a finger on her, after asking her this question, his hand was not so kind.

"Even if I hate you for everything you put me through, I still love you for all that you gave me."

She gasps lightly and her eyes widen while staring up at Gaara. He just looks down at her; face still focused entirely at her expression.

"What?" he whispers with a small drawl.

It is then his finger gently slide down and cradle her chin. It's as if he is examining her for the first time.

"Is what I say really that surprising?" he asks.

Sakura isn't sure how to answer his question, and in a way, his quickness to confess such a feeling versus her struggle makes her doubt both her conflicting feelings more. A little boy who loves his friend after all these years; if Sakura just thinks of the situation like that, then she can justify Gaara's claim now.

She takes a breath once Gaara's hand begins to slip away.

"No doubt, there is a close bond I feel with you," Sakura begins.

It must be all Gaara needs to hear, for he actually smiles lightly, and begins to move around the room in a rush as Sakura continues to speak while her eyes follow him.

"I do not know if I would call it love, but it may be," she says while watching him pace around the room.

"Great," he whispers under his breath.

The redhead seems to mumble more and more as his steps go back and forth.

"This is great," he continues. "Sakura is here now. I'm so close...I could end this at any moment I wish."

His emphasizes on that last word while clenching his fists and bringing them up against his chest. It's a grin he shows off to no one as his mumbles continues in his mind.

"What?" Sakura asks, trying for his attention. "What is so great?"

His look to her first is one that is almost confused, as if she should know why this situation is a good one.

"Every little piece is coming to place," is all he says with a grin still.

Sakura can only grimace, she still has no clue to what he speaks of.

"I will make you proud, Sakura," Gaara says, now rushing towards Sakura's side.

She almost jumps to the unsightly display as Gaara kneels to the floor and rests his head against her leg.

"Gaara!" she even cries about to point out his closeness.

Yet, she goes unheard. He is like loyal pup, showing affection towards the body that feeds it, and he continues to grin and laugh lightly as he rolls his head, and red locks, against Sakura's lap.

"I always imagined that wherever you were, even if you were long dead, that you would be proud to see me bring the world together like I envision."

Sakura's eyes widen for a moment, and the hand that was going to gently push him off is now frozen. Her ears even tingle to hearing Gaara finally spill what it is he is planning in this war.

"Now, I don't have to imagine," he says with grin Sakura can feel pull up his cheeks against her lap. "You'll be there to see. You'll be there to congratulate me. You'll be there to praise me like old times. You'll be there...right by my side."

His final words seem to come out slower than the others, as if a realization dawns upon him. She can even feel his grin fall, but he keeps his head in place, resting on her lap while his eyes are distant. For the moment, there is silence from Gaara; the reason behind it is a mystery. For Sakura, she can only keep her peace for so long before opening up.

"What is it _exactly_  you're planning, Gaara?"

Sakura swallows hard as Gaara continues to stare at her, lost in his own world. Eventually, his lips purse back tight before he whispers to her.

"A utopia."

Sakura's heart drops then. It is a vision she has heard attempted by another mad man. Kankuro had warned her this was Gaara's endgame, and even clues of the redhead's words had led her towards this path Gaara now claims he is taking. There is nothing wrong wanting peace and harmony in the world. There is nothing wrong wanting your fellow man to look at you in equal light. There is nothing wrong voicing your opinion for others to hear.

There is something  _dreadfully_  wrong forcibly taking what you believe is yours. It is a frightening thought that you will be cut down if you do not agree to a man's view of how the world should be. The idea that a man, with dark voices in his mind, has a vision for a better world, would make anyone fight back.

' _This is wrong!_ ' Sakura thinks as her eyes widen in front of her.

Her friends flash across her mind. Everyone she knows in Konoha are simply struggling now while this man in her lap laughs at their future demise, and there is a heavy guilt in her heart that this path is possibly the worst outcome Sakura could have sent him on. Her mind scrambles then; trying to find a deeper meaning behind all this.

' _He was a spoiled, angry child,_ ' she recalls. ' _He just wanted recognition, he just wanted someone to look at him with admiration than disdain. Is this his way of thinking he can achieve this? Does he find this all his purpose in life?!_ '

Minutes have passed, both quiet in their thoughts, but it is a light humming that draws Sakura back to reality. Her body grows stiff as she listens to Gaara hum lightly, it is a tune that is familiar one.

' _Mother's song,_ ' she thinks.

The irony of those lyrics Gaara's mother had written suddenly strike her. If Karura could see her children now, especially Gaara, would his dream, this whole outcome, be something she would be proud of? What had turned Gaara in this direction? What other influences led him to this war? Did he meet someone else while she was gone, did someone else channel this idea into him? How did a child decide he was going to take over the world, especially one with so much kindness in him?

Sakura's eyes shakes as these question pour into her mind. It isn't until she takes a moment to breath, listening to Gaara's humming still, does she realize the man in her lap is brushing his fingers again against the bare skin of her thigh. His unsettling tranquility contradicts Sakura's rattling chaotic mind. Yet, that small touch of his, that gentle rubbing-she is well aware that he touches no bruise on her right now.

He is a man who claims awful things, yet shows her some kindness still. Kankuro claimed Gaara grows close to no one, yet for a man to boldly touch her and lay on her speaks to her in her mind. His closeness is suddenly too much

' _Something_ _is not_ _right in his mind,_ ' Sakura thinks.

She is certain disarray will come next, but she can no longer harbor the feelings Gaara has brought out. Gently, she stands herself, not even looking down at Gaara as his head slides away from her and he looks up at her in question. She breaks away from his body, and touch, and twists her mouth while trying to stifle her many emotions.

"Despite the bond we share, I can't follow you like you wish," Sakura whispers. "I do not agree at all with what you're doing. I will not stand by your side."

Despite her determined speech, she can't bring herself to look down at the man at her feet and her knuckles turn pale as she digs her nails within her palms. Silence follows, and if she to simply glance, she would see Gaara's wide eyes stare up at her in shock. She is upset for letting her emotions bring her to this point, but feels she will garner no more answers from him tonight if she were to ask. She is almost certain at what will come next, but that alone doesn't stop her from continuing.

"I will stop you. I will stop this senseless fighting. Unless you can prove to me otherwise that your cause is a greater purpose than simply taking lives, I will be a means of stopping you, Gaara."

She barely finishes speaking his name before she feels the man lift up to his feet and suddenly sweep around her frame like wind. In the blink of an eye, he is behind her and he snakes his cold fingers and sharp nails against her neck. He taps at her skin ever so lightly, but his touch now feels like a burn as he strums his nails. His breath, opposite of his touch, is cold like ice, but it still stings as he brings his lips against her ear.

"You amuse me profoundly more now than when I was younger, Sakura," he whispers with fingers tightening around her neck.

There is another element to Gaara's fighting. One that is able to catch his opponent much more by surprise than his sand. His older self, in her world, had done well to hide or forsake it. As a child, Sakura had tried her best to swat away that growing aspect within Gaara. His words now, even his touch, tells Sakura that he has embraced this means of attack to come on top as the winner.

Darkness is an element he very much brings with him into every battle, and he uses it now against Sakura.

' _This is the evil in Gaara people have been claiming him to have,_ ' Sakura thinks with narrowing eyes.

His means now may even stem from the Ichibi, Sakura thinks. It's a sad thought, but one that Sakura may have to come to terms with. After all, how can you ignore a constant, corrupt voice that eggs and mocks you in your mind for years, and years, and years.

Despite his words and hold on her, Sakura keeps her place and simply narrows her eyes. A reaction that Gaara is surprised by, but also amused with. She knows it, he knows her to know it, but it is clear he is excited now by her motives, and possibly her next actions. It also like a game they both play now. The encounter is brief, and there is much to learn of the other person. What angers them now, what frightens them now, what makes them happy now? Through Sakura's declaration, it becomes clear to both of them that their end game differs in mind. For Sakura, the idea is more troubling than it is for Gaara. For the redheaded man, Sakura simply becomes his biggest opponent yet, and that idea makes his blood electric.

They both wish to sway the others mind and heart. To accept the others vision is what they will struggle to play with now. For Gaara, the premise of it all is exhilarating, and he thinks him to have the upper hand in convincing Sakura to see his way. For Sakura, the ground she needs to break now, the reasoning she needs to pour into Gaara's mind now will be a complex struggle. She doesn't nearly have the time Gaara obviously has, and her power is withered compared to his. Despite that, she refuses to throw in the towel.

' _I changed him once,_ ' she thinks. ' _I'll do it again._ '

Within the silent room, as they consume themselves with these thoughts, there is also an understanding between them that they each know what the other is thinking. They've each made their first move, what will their next be, they both wonder.

Sakura cranes her neck slightly and Gaara keeps his fingers firm still against her. The rosette stares out towards the window and narrows her eyes while listening to the thunder and rain, along with Gaara's breathing in her ear.

' _If I can,_ ' she thinks. ' _I need to let someone know where I am. I need to tell someone Gaara is here. Even if I have to get off this island completely._ '

After all, Gaara would probably be easier to sway in chains, and his threats stopped now as time continues to tick.

Despite all that has transpired, her words from before still hold truth. She is certain for Gaara it is the same. The words they spoke to one another held nothing false within them. There is still the bond Sakura spoke of between them, a strong one that helps make her decision in saving this man rather than destroying him. Gaara, too, means what he says when he vouches his love for Sakura, for despite his threatening hold on her, his touch is somewhat gentle, and it is decided that Sakura lives.

And they both know that the other knows this.

Gaara's eyes follow Sakura's line of vision towards the window, and he grins a little before tightening his fingers around Sakura's neck.

"I lost you once, Sakura. Ready yourself, for I will never let you go again.  _Never_."

It's like he knows her thoughts then, knows that she has a mindset of getting out of here and she is sure that is why he tells her this now. To his words, Sakura sighs, but takes a bold step forward. It comes to no surprise for her that Gaara's hold is an easy one to break, and she takes a few steps more away from his body before turning to face him.

She is tired, she is torn and bruised. She is thrown into a world not her own with time that threatens to not only take her, but the peace within this world. She is alone, and now in a home with a constant threat looming over her that takes the form of friends.

But she is also Sakura, and she knows now that not stopping this man in front of her is not option. Her means of doing so go against what everyone else wishes, but she wants to also save Gaara.

"Of course," she tells him.

There is a flash of surprise across his features. Clearly her agreement wasn't the reaction he thought he would receive. Yet, underneath that shock is excitement, and as long as Sakura continues to astonish and confuse him, she is sure that elation she has sparked will only grow and grow in time and possibly keep her alive in his darkest of moments.

"After all," she continues. "You've held on to your love for me all these years, how could you possibly decide to let it go now?"


	50. Chapter 50

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My amazing friendster, [ashleymeowtese](https://ashleymeowtese.tumblr.com/), drew [Gaara](https://ashleymeowtese.tumblr.com/tagged/my+art) and I love it so much I want to share it with you all! Go to her tumblr please and stare at the wonderful Gaara's she has drawn for the world~! Everyone I'm meeting at tumblr is so awesome and talented. Thank you guys so much. ILU all~

Her world is becoming all the more uncomfortable. As true to her word that Sakura is, Gaara, it seems, is just as cemented on his vow to never let her out of his sight. Sakura is determined to fix him, determined to escape this place and stop the war. She is determined to figure out the mark on her back and find her way more.

Gaara's perseverance is instead set entirely on her.

He had told her to be prepared for it, and she even humored him by boldly saying why she knew he chose to never let her go. Still…

That didn't mean she expected him to be by her side day and night. She granted him a day and then two. Now, as she lays under her heavy quilt, trying to gain some much needed rest, her eyes narrow as she awakes for the fifth time. As quiet as Gaara can be, actually making no noise Sakura could accuse him of, his presence alone simply stirs her from her sleep.

' _He's never going to leave me alone, is he?!_ ' Sakura's mind shakes.

She is trained too well to feel when another being is watching her. Gaara, it seems, is just as disciplined. For even if she is frozen still under her blankets, he is always quick to note when she is awake, and even quicker to indulge himself in her presence. Much like his child self was.

"If you cannot sleep, might I suggest a walk. Something to eat."

His voice cuts through the darkness and it makes Sakura's stomach turn and twist with distaste.

"Leave me alone," she tells him instead, her voice muffled through the heavy fabric. "Can you not give me peace for just one whole day? Is there not a war out there you should be leading?"

Her encouragement is nothing but deceit since she wishes nothing more than Gaara to back down in this fighting he carries on. Still, if it could just give her some time to herself, time to find a way out of here…

She blinks when she hears no reply and her heart skips a beat wondering if Gaara takes her words into consideration. When no sound comes from him for some time, Sakura casts her quilt aside to sit and turn to face the young man. With the shades pulled, no light breaks through into the dirty room, but his dark silhouette is clear as he occupies a soft chair in the corner. With a straight back, and legs crossed, he is the epitome of someone brought up in discipline, and yet…

' _I didn't teach him that,_ ' Sakura thinks. ' _He wasn't like that as a child._ '

She continues to watch as he twists his wrist and brings his nails up in front of him before examining them through the dark. She realizes then his silence was not consideration of her words but instead his attention being drawn elsewhere.

"This bedchamber is filthy," he sneers towards his nails.

Sakura takes a moment to see what she can through the dark. The dirt will not resolve itself just because of her presence, and the murky smells still lingers. So, for a rare moment, Sakura silently agrees with Gaara. As her eyes turn back to his, his gaze has settled back on her while he keeps his hand close to him still. It looks as if he searches for an answer within her, yet all Sakura can do is shrug.

"This is where I was first placed," is all she offers. "And where I keep ending up."

Gaara grimaces, his eyes scouring the room once again. After some time, he speaks.

"You will take up my bedchamber then."

His eyes are away from hers as he says this, and Sakura is surprised by the offer. She first wonders if she can garner any information from his room, but quickly doubts the idea if he is willing to give it up so easily. She then remembers what goes on in occasion in that room, those lust-filled nights, and Gaara looks at the rosette the moment her nose wrinkles and eyes narrow in question.

"When was the last time those blankets were washed?"

Gaara's eyes return to his nails.

"My stay here is not typically of this much age. A being that can clean and maintain is more resourceful in battle than a home, for the moment."

Sakura's wrinkle only intensifies to what she is hearing.

"After all," he states, as if Sakura is a fool to ask such a question, "all this dust and stench wouldn't garner my consideration had we someone here to maintain it, now would it?"

Sakura quickly shakes her head in disgust, earning back Gaara's eyes.

"I'll keep this dirty bed then," she says. "I'd much rather sleep in dust than in a bed where naked bodies have met and sand slithers."

Sakura only wrinkles her nose more at the thought while Gaara grins mischievously. Amusement in his eyes as he brings them back to his nails. Silence follows for some time, but it is Gaara, and his hunt for enjoyment in the rosette that makes him speak.

"You have felt my sand, and you have felt my naked body," he begins. "So, it should be no issue for you."

Sand she can agree, but for the comment on his bare frame, Sakura narrows her eyes once more before bringing them back up to Gaara.  _Never_ , would she lay with this man flesh to flesh.

"Liar," she quickly labels him.

"You don't remember?" he asks.

His eyes stay away from hers, but his grins keeps on growing. It's as if he holds a memory that garners truth in his words. Sakura, however, is sure in her mind and even wonders if Gaara has mistook her for someone else. She remains quiet in thought, yet her mind begins to stray of what transpired between her and Gaara just days ago. When they had reconciled.

' _He look_ _ed_ _like he was about to kiss me..._ ' she remembers.

Her eyes narrow more when she remembers darker words that had come out of Gaara then.

" _I wonder_ _j_ _ust how far you'll go. The last one was willing to..._ "

The very thought twists her stomach so hard that Sakura instantly feel nauseous and sick. Shock also mentally rocks her.

' _He wouldn't..._ ' she thinks, her round eyes scanning over Gaara. ' _I may have told him I wasn't family, but our relationship certainly wasn't..._ '

It's her confused, long stare that draws Gaara's eyes back towards her own. As their gazes hit, he lifts his brow bone and his grin falls back down to usual apathetic look.

"What's troubling you, Sakura?" Gaara murmurs.

Despite the question, something within his own eyes shine and Sakura certainly feels like the redhead in front of her knows exactly what she thinks of now.

' _Kankuro was the same way..._ ' Sakura thinks. ' _He thinks of me like a mother, but called me cute.._ '

In an odd way, she wonders if this all stems from the two of them not understanding a mother-like relationship. With one parent dead and the other locking himself in his office, the children were practically left on their own to wonder what a parents role was; what anybody, in their lives, meant to them considering people came and went in their lives at the drop of the dime.

Especially Gaara.

"Did you...sleep with one that looked like me?" Sakura asks in a breathy whisper.

Even asking that question aloud makes Sakura's stomach drop with a threat of its contents rising up. Yet, the rosette holds her composure, even her eyes do not stray or shake as she stares hard at Gaara.

Gaara's stare is just as hard. His muteness, as minutes trend, makes Sakura's heart beat faster and faster with worry of what he may say.

"No," Gaara finally articulates, and watches Sakura carefully once the rosette lets out a sigh of relief and relaxes her tense body.

Her composure returns and Sakura grimaces towards Gaara.

"What are you talking about then?" she asks, annoyed. "I never laid naked with you."

As her eyes return towards Gaara, she is surprised his stare is still hard on her. He is quiet, still trapped in her previous question, but eventually he relaxes that hard gaze to examine his nails once more.

"When I was a child you-"

"That's different!" Sakura retorts, almost in disgust at Gaara's words.

She shakes her head and sighs while Gaara grins.

"Hold your composure," he tells her with a drawl. "I only jest."

Sakura bites her cheek in annoyance. His words may be true, perhaps this moment even sheds light onto Sakura that Gaara has a bit of humor in him like his younger self did. Still, she can't help the uneasy feeling that swims in her stomach and mind. She would almost call this joke now flirtatious on his part, that is, if she knew him better. A joke like this from Naruto would certainly be considered flirty. Her previous thoughts are there still as well. Kankuro had found her attractive despite her role in his younger years. If Kankuro can see her in that light than Gaara may just as easily. Plus, she isn't blind to not catch that his eyes drift easy towards her figure. All of a sudden, his uncomfortable presence becomes almost intolerable.

She scowls before narrowing her eyes towards Gaara.

"Go away," she tells him again before burying herself under her quilt. "Leave me alone."

Her actions and words make Gaara finally lower his hand and his stare is long on the bulge she created with her body under her blanket. It's as if he is almost aware that her mood has shifted, even if she was asking him to leave her be, just the same, moments ago.

"You are smart, Sakura," he tells her instead. "One of the most intelligent I am lucky to have grace me with knowledge when I was younger. Also one of the few I deeply respect."

Gaara uncrosses his legs then and chooses a more relaxed pose by leaning his elbows, and weight, onto his knees. His eyes never straying from Sakura's silhouette.

"You know why it's like this now."

Sakura rolls her eyes to his words. She is more than aware why he chooses to stick by her side, but she is also mindful that it's an impossible task. He will have to leave her side at some point, war probably beckons him this very moment. There are so many ways to stray away, and even Sakura humors the idea of gaining his trust, tricking him into believing she wants to stay before taking flight back to Konoha.

Yet, that idea pains her heart.

' _He'll probably feel abandoned again,_ ' she thinks, the little boy popping back into her mind. ' _There would probably be no way of changing him if I did that…He'd hate me forever._ '

Despite how she despises the Gaara watching her right now, the thought of him loathing her is still a painful one. She realizes then how very fortunate she was in her own world, and how grateful she is to Naruto for so many things, but more specifically for keeping Gaara as an ally and close friend. In an odd way, she would very much like to take the time to meet with the Gaara in her world and perhaps garner a new friendship.

' _That's an idea for another time,_ ' she reminds herself.

A loud noise erupts Sakura's thoughts, and dust showers down from the ceiling as the giant house suddenly rocks lightly. Sakura is quick to appear back out of her quilt, her eyes scouring the top of her room before her eyes zoom over to Gaara's for an explanation. His face shows no amusement as his eyes cast upward.

"Imbecile," Gaara sneers under his breath.

"What was that?" Sakura asks.

Yet, to her question, Sakura is quick to wonder if the fighting has found its way to this island. A chance, for her, may come more quickly than previously thought.

"Should you not attend to that?" Sakura asks with a snark when Gaara remains distant from her eyes and question.

Gaara returns Sakura's scowl then and is quick with a snide remark of his own.

"For you, Sakura, if you wish me to off the man responsible I shall, but then that would leave me with one less captain."

His grin grows as Sakura's face drops and pales.

' _Kankuro!_ ' she quickly thinks.

Sakura is appalled that Gaara even suggests such a thing and studies his eyes closely to see if she finds any joke to his words. Despite the dark humor it would be, she hopes Gaara's proposal is not a serious one.

"How?" She asks him, almost in shock. "How could say such a thing...your own broth-"

Before she can finish that word Gaara's smirk falls to a scowl fast, and he straightens his back while gripping the arms of his chair. He cuts off Sakura.

"Don't," he warns her, almost in a breathy whisper. "Don't you dare say that man and I are akin."

Sakura is shocked, and disheartened, at what she hears. Even if she is warned not only by his words, but also by his frown and tense appearance now, she can't help herself from pressing.

"You disown having a brother?" she asks. "Temari then, do you-"

His grip on the chair tightens and his scowl appears more threatening.

"They are merely my  _captains_. Both of them."

Sakura is quiet, but her face must express many emotions for Gaara becomes quick to talk, and defensive with his words.

"Put yourself in my shoes, Sakura," he begins. "Do you not recall the way everyone feared my presence and disregarded my mere existence? Do you truly believe I would call two of those very same people brother and sister? Do you honestly believe they deserve to be recognized when all they wanted was for me to disappear from their lives?"

Sakura's face hardens and she keeps her gaze firm with Gaara's, now, chaotic look.

"It's probably true your siblings, in the beginning, held no attachment towards you..."

Sakura swallows hard then, remembering Temari's first words of her wishing Gaara were dead. Yet…

"Can you not remember how they changed. How you changed as well?" Sakura asks with a quiet voice. "Kankuro reached out to you, he  _wanted_ to be your brother. Temari also shared with you how important you truly were to your mother. Without her, you would have never heard your mother's song. Kankuro and you were inseparable at times. How could not recognize either of them?"

"Their actions were probably deceptive-" Gaara begins before being cut off this time by Sakura shout.

"They were children!" she tries to explain. "All three of you were. They merited nothing choosing to be kind to you but a sibling to love."

She is surprised to see Gaara purse his lips for the moment, but his narrow gaze still tells her that she is the wrong one in this. The rosette can only shake her head in disappointment.

"What has happened to you, Gaara?" Sakura whispers. "It's like your mind has been warped. How could you forget the kindness your own brother and sister showed you? You even pushed some of those people to your opposing side."

Sakura continues to shake her head and shrugs her shoulders when a thought comes to her.

"I often believed, if there was someone you were suppose to lean on, someone to depend on the most, it was to be Kankuro."

She doesn't see it, but Gaara's eye twitches to her comment. He is quick to remark, once again, and doesn't take the opportunity to dawdle on the idea of Sakura's words. A trait he focused well on in his younger years, but slips with now.

"Kankuro?" he quips with a sneer.

Sakura turns her head just in time to catch his wide gaze.

"Don't think you can pass those judging eyes across me and think me a fool not to notice," Gaara begins.

Sakura opens her mouth, to rebuttal that claim and ask what he speaks of, but stops as Gaara holds a hand up and hushes her. An act that makes her eyes narrow at the redhead, but she does listen carefully as he continues.

"I was use to it my whole childhood, Sakura," Gaara says. "You're the fool here to think I've not noticed the way you glance in my direction or inquire such an intrusive question."

Sakura does not move as she watches Gaara sweep up from his feet and circle towards her bed. Their gaze never breaks as he takes a seat on her mattress and leans in closer to speak with her.

"You label my mind corrupted, Sakura," Gaara all but whispers, pressing his hands against the bed to lean in closer to the rosette. "Yet, surely you've noticed Kankuro's own distortion."

Sakura is quiet, and her eyes waver as she recalls the moments she has had with Kankuro. It had been easy for her to understand that all this fighting, and possibly more, had taken a toll on the brunette's mind. Still, she had disarmed the dangerous moment when Kankuro had backed her up into a wall, and unlike Gaara, she was certain how to calm the hurting man and probably even teach him to overcome, or overbear, his troubles. Yet, she does second guess these thoughts when she spots Gaara's smile turn into a lunatic grin.

"You've no idea, Sakura," Gaara tells her, almost gleefully. "You pass wrongful judgment onto me and then claim the most senseless one in this household was meant to be the closest to me. Claim him to be my brother?!"

His last sentence comes out in a boom, and his grin disappears as Gaara bares his teeth in her direction. Before Sakura can speak, Gaara is drawing back the heavy quilt from her frame and begins to reach for her while lifting himself onto the mattress more.

"Tell me the truth!" he spits then, eyes wide. "You've always cared for Kankuro more than I, haven't you?! Even now, you paint him as an innocent man and me a monster still."

Sakura keeps her ground steady, for she is sure then that if she were to turn her back now Gaara would jump for her. It's ironic, she thinks then, that Gaara calls himself sane while losing himself now in front of her.

"Gaara," Sakura calmly speaks. "I cared for Kankuro and  _you_. I still do. I didn't favor him over you, or the other way around. Everything you're saying now is simply not true."

Yet, her voice disbands nothing. Instead, she watches as Gaara bangs a fist down onto her mattress and begins to snicker lightly.

"You're such the liar, Sakura," Gaara says through his light laughs. "Even know, I know you're thinking me wrong here, thinking I'm crazy. Between him and I, your lips found him first."

"Are you talking about that kiss I gave him when he was just a child?! The one on his cheek?!" she cries out, baffled by Gaara's outrage.

Sakura blinks, and she is shocked when, in that moment, she feels Gaara suddenly in front of her. His face close to hers before he grips her free arm tight.

' _He's gotten faster,'_  Sakura thinks.

"I'm not the mad one here!" he screams in Sakura's face. "Kankuro's killed more men and women than I!"

Sakura's eyes widen to that claim and she must give the expression Gaara has been searching for, for his hold on her loosens some, and his tense look relaxes. Still, as he looks down at Sakura, there is a desperation in his eyes, and his words, that Sakura notices. It's almost like a plea he is conveying to her,

" _Look me not with those judging eyes. Think me not the crazy one here. I am more innocent than my sibling_ _s. Run to me, not them._ "

It makes Sakura wonder if she has been judging Gaara too harshly. Certainly, the boy she loved, would shed tears knowing Sakura put a label on him for his past. It also makes her wonder if perhaps Gaara is jealous of Kankuro in a sense. Maybe the redhead does notice the brunette's kind heart and despises that his empathy paints him nothing to feel.

She recalls then those jealous eyes that Gaara sent in his sibling's directions at his young age.

Sakura is still silent as Gaara quickly let's go of her arm. He returns to the end of Sakura's bed and composes himself before staring straight at Sakura's door. Before she can even fathom what he is doing now, he glowers towards the wooden frame before a firm knock is heard.

' _I didn't even sense anyone,_ ' Sakura thinks again, falling back on the thoughts of how well in his senses Gaara has become.

"Enter," Gaara answers.

Sakura's heart is still pounding from the situation prior, and her thoughts still do fall back to Kankuro, but her eyes do watch as Temari opens the door. The blonde quickly spins on her heels to shut the door as soon as she steps in, and spins back around to bow her head. In her hand is a folder of papers.

"Gaara-sama, we've just received a message from the captain up north."

Sakura's ears twitch to the news. Unlike her, however, as the blonde had spoken Gaara simply yawned before resting his frame entirely on Sakura's bed. His expression now bored, he instead drags his fingers across Sakura's blankets and grimaces at the dust left behind on his fingers.

"Begone," Gaara comments. "Just leave it in my bedchamber, I will skim over it later."

Sakura can't help herself but narrow her eyes towards Gaara for his display. Where there are people fighting, sacrificing themselves for his cause, he treats the system like a tedious game while comfortably hiding away.

"Hai," Temari comments, head still bowed.

Yet, to her words, she does peek an eye up from her lowered head. She locks her gaze with Sakura briefly before sweeping them over towards Gaara, who still pays her no mind. Sakura's eyes lower to the folder in Temari's hand and she is surprised the woman quakes somewhat. A movement Sakura recalls feeling as Temari held the kunai against her neck in that town.

' _She's...scared?_ ' Sakura thinks.

Yet, as seconds pass, and Temari does not move, the man is quick once again to his feet. Like with Sakura, he is in front of Temari in the blink of the eye. The blonde gives a loud gasp, and no discipline can keep her head down as she looks up towards Gaara in fear. Like Kankuro had done with Sakura, the redhead does now with his sister and backs her up against the wall as he towers over her with rage lighting up his eyes.

"Are you defying my orders, Temari?" Gaara asks with a hiss. "Is this mutiny on your part now?"

The women cowers under Gaara's words and stare.

"No, my lord," she quickly answers. "I just believe that-that-"

She cries out suddenly as Gaara wraps his fingers tight around her neck and the act is just enough push to make Sakura leap from her bed.

"Believe what?" Gaara drawls. "That you would demean me in front of another. In front of Sakura?!"

Papers litter the floor and Temari quickly brings her hands up to try to pull Gaara off of her.

"Please, Gaara..." Temari manages before Gaara's grips tighten.

"Have you forgotten your place?!" Gaara suddenly cries. "You would just call me Gaara?!"

"Stop this!" Sakura cries, placing herself next to Gaara.

Before Sakura can even lay her hand and stop Gaara, the redhead does exactly what she asks. His gaze shifts to the rosette entirely once Sakura helps lower Temari down to the floor while the blonde drags in a breath.

"Let me see," Sakura asks of the blonde, trying to unwrap her fingers from her throat.

Temari coughs lightly before Gaara speaks.

"Temari, know that it is Sakura who spared you now."

Temari steals a glance at Sakura before looking up at her little brother.

"She wishes you to live right now, but do not conclude you can continue with this insubordination. There will not be a next time of this, will there?"

It's Sakura who turns her angry eyes up towards Gaara now. Temari trembles still. For Sakura, the sight of her paints her as someone who is somewhat broken. The Temari she knows from her own time cowers behind no one, and as Temari escorted her earlier, she was sure that bravado remained in the older woman.

Yet, now, in front of Gaara, she quakes like cornered prey. Her fear of her brother, from her younger years, seems to have grown instead of disappearing like Sakura had intended, It's enough to make Sakura snap at Gaara.

"Stop it," Sakura tells him again. "You've done more than enough."

Yet, despite her words, Temari and Gaara's gaze do not break, and the young man even speaks before Sakura finishes her sentence.

"From now on you'll answer to her like you do me. She is above you, therefore you should thank her properly for saving your life."

"Gaara!" Sakura booms once again.

Sakura's attention shifts towards Temari once she sees the blonde shuffling to her feet. The rosette's eyes go round as Temari formerly bows at Sakura, forehead skimming the floor.

"Sakura-sama..." Temari begins to say before Sakura quickly reaches for her.

"Stop this!" she cries, picking Temari up along with her.

As soon as she stands the blonde woman up, Sakura turns her angry eyes at Gaara.

"And you!" she hisses. "Stop your tormenting. I'm beginning to see a pattern here, and it makes me wonder how exactly your army choose to follow you."

Gaara's stare is hard, but not filled with anger or rage Sakura expected. Instead, he rests his arms against his back and puffs out his chest as he speaks.

"Though it may not look like it in your eyes, I assure you, Sakura, my army of men are more poised and disciplined than-"

"Cram it already!" Sakura snaps back, tired of his speech.

Her orders are loud, and shocking, enough to make Gaara do just as she tells him. He watches her with wide eyes as Sakura tends to Temari once more. His shock turns slowly into amusement, and if seen by Sakura herself, it would be met with judging eyes and a grimace as she would try to decipher him more. Alas, she only looks at the redness around Temari's neck.

"It's going to bruise," Sakura tells her.

While she speaks, Gaara reaches for the folder and papers that litter the floor from Temari's hands. His eyes scan each one slowly before he reaches for the next, but freezes when one particular message catches his eyes, and he slowly straightens himself up before his eyes, and mind, indulge on the full message.

"If there is no medic here to heal it just ice it until-" Sakura speaks, but stops once Temari glares at her and steps back from Sakura's examination.

A swift glance from Gaara tells Temari she can show Sakura just how much she admires Sakura for what she has just done. It is easy for the rosette to decipher the hostility and anger Temari's glare tells her to have for Sakura, but her words are pleasing to the ear, and both women know it is merely for show as Gaara will clearly catch her defiance if she speaks otherwise.

"Thank you for your concern,  _Sakura-sama_ ," Temari clearly speaks with narrowing eyes. "I will be sure to do as you recommend."

Sakura, meanwhile, remains silent as she stares sadly towards Temari. She hopes her eyes convey her emotions towards Temari, and she silently understands that she is not above Temari, or that she wishes for this formality Gaara has placed on her. Yet, Temari's glare only remains the same with Sakura staring more and more into her eyes.

' _The_ _ir_ _eyes do not change,_ ' she sadly thinks, remembering the little girl who colored next to her.

" _I just want my mommy back!_ "

Sakura can suddenly hear Temari's young voice echoing familiar words. It makes the rosette realize, as well, just how desperate this older sister must be to keep her two brothers happy. They are her only family left, and while she has shown Sakura just how desperate she is to keep Kankuro out of harms way, she wonders if the mutual feeling follows in the direction of her youngest brother.

' _It has to,_ ' Sakura thinks. ' _There has to be love in all of them still._ '

Sakura's thoughts vanish as Temari turns and straightens in Gaara's direction. His voice suddenly becomes louder than the small echoes in her head.

"She should have taken care of it by now!" Gaara growls, more to himself than anyone in the room.

His teeth bare once more out of anger but, surprisingly, Temari takes a bold step forward.

"May I make a proposition, Gaara-sama?" she asks.

Sakura is surprised to see Gaara pick his eyes up from the paper to look at her briefly before back at the blonde.

"Vaguely," he tells Temari.

This is all Sakura needs to hear to realize it is war they now speak of and the smallest of schemes comes to mind.

"Shall I step out?" she asks Gaara, already baby-stepping her way to the door. "After all, you need not be  _vague_  if I'm not here."

Before an answer comes, Sakura slowly reaches and opens the door, only to watch Gaara's hand reach out and slam the door back shut. Their gazes lock again, and she finds irritation in the redhead's eyes rather than amusement. He grimaces at Sakura but says nothing more as he shifts his gaze back towards Temari.

' _Not that easy,'_  Sakura thinks.

"One of us should deal with the situation," Temari continues as soon as Gaara gives her a nod to do so.

"I am not needed there for something like this," Gaara speaks, his eyes once again glancing towards Sakura.

The rosette sends him a glare before turning her back to him.

' _Of course you_ _aren't_ _,_ ' she thinks. ' _Because I won't be here once you leave and return._ '

"My men and I are ready to leave at once, Gaara-sama," Temari speaks, straightening herself.

Yet, her words earn Gaara's angry eyes back towards her.

"Do not conclude anything until my say, Temari," Gaara snaps back.

Sakura begins to grow bored of the mind games Gaara does with his sister, as well as the constant, unnecessary apologies Temari has to make. Yet, with her back turned, Sakura doesn't spot the malice grin Gaara now sends in her direction and there is amusement lighting up his eyes once more.

"Sakura, would you be a dear, and fetch Kankuro for me? He resides on the lowest floor."

Sakura's eyes widen to Gaara's question, and she spins on her heels to look at the man, just to be sure he isn't toying with her once again.

' _He's letting me go?_ ' Sakura thinks, her heart raising at the new given opportunity to flee from Gaara's chains.

Yet, the redhead is one step ahead, and Sakura's heart drops once she watches Gaara sneak an arm around Temari's shoulder, forcing the woman to face Sakura just as he is. Instantly, in the blonde's gaze, is fear that Sakura is easy to decipher, and she trembles once more to her brother's hold.

The message is clear to Sakura then. If she attempts anything funny, or tries to run, it is Temari who is going to be dealt with the aftereffect. A promise on Sakura's part, to the woman in front of her that was made during Temari's young age, suddenly rings in her mind.

" _I promise you. Gaara will never do anything to hurt you, or Kankuro._ "

Sakura's eyes widen as one of Gaara's fingers traces around Temari's still red neck.

" _Never._ "

"Please don't keep us waiting for too long, Sakura," Gaara grins.


	51. Chapter 51

Sakura stared down the flight of stairs. The dim, hanging light did nothing to help show what awaited down below, and the ominous feeling that something treacherous waited for her below played in her mind. Sometime, in her young, young years Sakura recalled a nightmare like this. It wasn't the foreboding impression that kept Sakura in her place now but instead of the dismal thought that Kankuro placed himself in, what looked to be, the most miserable part of the home.

Kankuro resided down there, is what Gaara told her, but instead of stepping foot Sakura pauses for the moment to stare down towards the darkness and back up towards the doorway that is feet away next to her. The thought of escaping once again plays in her mind. Yet, the idea vanishes once she recalls the blonde who unwittingly became victim the moment she stepped in to relay news to Gaara. It was beginning to feel more and more like Gaara and her, Sakura, were playing a game, and of course it would have to be the redhead who would play dirty. Still, the thought does not not waver Sakura's undaunted nature. It matters to her not how he played, so long as no harm came to anyone, just as long as she makes it to the end first.

Shaking off her thoughts, Sakura picks her feet quickly and rushes down the stairs. As she had thought, the small, dark hallway is cheerless. With no windows or decor, Sakura thinks it more to lead her to a storage room. There is no way the space here would be a healthy livable spot. Yet, as her steps take her deeper down the hallway, she is eventually met with cell door and she grimaces at the hard, metal door the moment she comes close to it. She pushes on the metal frame, noting how there is no handle for her to grip and no movement comes from her hard push.

"What is this?" Sakura questions, now irritated that Gaara possibly sent her on a fools run.

To that idea, she mumbles under her breath before shifting on to her toes to peek through the doorways small window. Through it, she can see the dark hallway lead on and even spots another strong door along the way. Yet, what catches her attention most is the few barred-up cells that have been made past the door.

"This is another prison?" Sakura asks, wondering what reason for this place if they have an entire mountain devoted for keeping enemies.

Yet, as she stares at the lone four cells, she notices them empty and retreats the flat of her feet back onto the floor.

"Maybe it was once used but not anymore."

She shrugs off the wondering, trying to think of where to go or do next. Once her eyes and head turn back around the dark hallway she suddenly spots another metal door. It blended well within the hallway to appear like just another wall. Sakura retracts her steps back towards it. Like the other door this one has no handle but the little screen on the door, which was once probably glass, is chained with wire and Sakura calls out through it as she stands on her toes.

"Oi, anyone in there?" she asks, letting her eyes scan the dark room within.

Before she can make out any silhouettes, or instruments, a gaze suddenly slides by and appears to meet with her own. His look at first drips with suspicion and disinterest, yet as he realizes who it is he stares at, that expression quickly melts away before Sakura can interpret it, and his eyes round in surprise at the sight of her.

"Sakaasan!" Kankuro exclaims. "Wait, uh, wait one minute."

Sakura stands back, listening to the clatter of glass and metal shuffle around before she hears what sounds like a curtain being drawn. She is quiet as she listens, but she offers the brunette a smile once he opens the door and gives her one of his own nervous ones.

"Sorry, about...about the mess," he says while inviting her in.

"You didn't know I was coming," Sakura justifies for him and steps in to the dark room.

Yet, the more of the room she takes in, the more Sakura scowls while scrutinizing the area. It's a much bigger room than she anticipated but no less dismal than she expected. With no windows, and only one, flickering light, Sakura is disheartened to see a small futon lying in the corner of the room.

' _Please tell me he doesn't stay in here,_ ' Sakura thinks.

There a workshop bench one puppet now occupies, while a few others hang on the walls. Littered around the bench, and floor, are random weapons, scrolls and books. Her eyes slow when she spots one lone kunai on the workbench, hidden under the puppet's arm but she continues her gaze so as not to let Kankuro spot her line of sight. Yet, it is another thing that catches Sakura's attention the most. The closed curtain at the end of room, hiding whatever lays behind it. There is also a familiar odor, one people grow disturbed upon smelling, that lingers in the room and rouses Sakura's suspicion. Along with it, the scent of chemicals.

"Uh..." Kankuro murmurs, catching Sakura's eyes drift towards the curtain. "Were you needing some-something, Sakaasan?"

Sakura turns her eyes towards Kankuro. His nervous nature shifts his gaze from hers to the side as he taps his fingers lightly together. In that instance, Sakura recalls the comment Gaara made that made her heart tremble.

" _I'm not the mad one here. Kankuro has killed more men and women than I!_ "

' _That can't be true,_ ' Sakura thinks as she watches Kankuro continue to shift nervously under her gaze. ' _Not Kankuro. Not the boy who pushed himself to become closer to Gaara. Not the boy who was so happy to be my friend._ '

Sakura's smile turns sympathetic towards the man then and it's a look Kankuro can't look away from.

"The house shook earlier. I was told it was because of you?"

Kankuro's face drops to Sakura's words but he nonetheless forces a smile after some time.

"I was...experimenting on a new jutsu."

Innocent enough, Sakura thinks, but his eyes still shift nervously and a question comes next.

"He's not mad-upset with me, i-is he?"

Sakura swallows hard, but nonetheless quickly shakes her head. She watches as Kankuro gives a sigh of relief and he give a nervous, quick laugh before he glances around the room.

"Good," he exclaims. "I never meant for it to be big like that."

Kankuro waltzes over to drag a chair behind Sakura.

"Sit, Sakaasan," he offers.

As Sakura does this she watches silently as Kankuro begins picking the litter around his room.

"How have you been, Sakaasan?" Kankuro asks while he does this task. "Are you liking being here with us again?"

To his own question Kankuro picks himself straight up and stares hard at Sakura. For the rosette, she can see his tentative stare in his real eye as he waits for her answer.

"It's...like old times, right?" he offers, pushing, almost trying to convince her that her place is here, with them.

"I am a prisoner, Kankuro," Sakura reminds him. "I was brought here against my wishes. Here I continue to stay with Gaara telling me I am not to come and go as I please."

Kankuro returns to his cleaning and seems to brush away Sakura's accusing, and bitter, words.

"Give it time, right? He just doesn't want to lose you again, you know? I'm sure he'll lighten up and give you more freedom soon. I know he really cares for you so it probably wouldn't take you much to turn him into a complete pushover."

Sakura's eyes widen to Kankuro's words. Despite how wrong Gaara has been acting, how he treats her now, there may actually be some truth to Kankuro's words that Sakura has already sensed.

"A pushover..." Sakura repeats in a whisper.

As much of a game as she is sure Gaara views it, Sakura thought it more her duty to do everything in her part to stop Gaara than treat this as a game. Yet, in a sense, it is the scenario of a psychological sport Sakura now plays in her mind. Just how far exactly can she push Gaara? Could she get him to cater to her and in turn at least have a reason treat him kinder and thus build his trust in her? Could she push him to reveal more to her, where vague questions and conversations become more in depth in her presence. Does she just have to repeat what she had done in his child years? The idea is interesting to ponder, but one Sakura isn't sure she is willing to do.

To trick Gaara would mean to mislead the boy he once was.

"I don't want you to disappear again either, Sakaasan," Kankuro murmurs while storing books away. "I feel like your place is with us, don't-you...you agree?" Kankuro asks, turning to face Sakura again as he asks this.

Meanwhile, the rosette narrows her eyes in thought and ponders Kankuro's question. His drive to make Sakura view him, and the whole situation, in light makes her think of Gaara doing just the same. They share that same aspect, to convince Sakura that her place is alongside them and that this war and fighting should be looked at with proud eyes. Yet, there is something drastically, characteristically different about these two Suna men. Their eyes spill out hidden emotions, and where Gaara's has changed incredibly over the years, Kankuro's feel exactly the same as when Sakura first met him as a child.

' _Gaara disowns his siblings,_ ' Sakura thinks. ' _Yet, Kankuro..._ '

Sakura swallows hard before she opens her mouth to ask.

"You love your brother still, right?"

Kankuro flusters for a moment to Sakura's questions, and even bumps his head under the desk he was trying to pick litter up from. Shying away, he turns his attention back to his scroll and book shelf.

"Why-what makes you ask?" Kankuro stutters.

Sakura is silent as she stares at Kankuro and wonders.

"Hey, I asked the question here first, didn't I?" he even tries to change the conversation.

' _He would still love the man who disrespects him and has disowned him..._ '

Sakura's frown hardens and her thoughts return to Gaara. How could Kankuro's heart undermine his brother's so much? Gaara cared for his village back in her world. He even sacrificed himself to ensure his friends and family be safe, but in this world his eyes only care for whatever hidden prize he aspires for.

" _I'm not the mad one here._ "

Gaara's words echo loud in her mind, and despite all that Gaara has tried to show her what to expect from Kankuro, she can't help but wonder where that statement had stemmed from. Yet, the smell that seems to grow empowering in the room does make her wonder and slowly she turns her eyes once again towards the curtain.

' _I know that smell,_ ' she tells herself.

She also realizes her mind is everywhere the minute Kankuro speaks up again. He reminds her quickly that she was indeed waiting for an answer. Yet, it is one she was sure she knew the answer to.

"He's my brother," Kankuro clearly says.

Sakura's eyes widen the minute they return to Kankuro's own solemn gaze. He even offers her a gentle smile.

"Doesn't that speak for itself?" he asks with clear speech.

Sakura's surprised stare must last longer than she thinks. After some time, Kankuro does begin to shift his gaze and bounce on his heels. Nonetheless, he eventually shrugs before offering Sakura another smile. He snaps his finger before pointing at her.

"It may have been long ago, but I remember you telling me not to hate him. Mother wouldn't want me to turn my back on him, even now, would she?"

Sakura's heart shakes then. As sentimental as Kankuro's words are, Sakura realizes she had spoken those words thinking Gaara's future more prosperous. He was suppose to be the man she had seen him already become. Despite all the damage Gaara has done, Sakura wonders if she would be able to tell Kankuro to forget those words.

" _He has done awful things, it is alright for you to forsake him._ "

Words she has no heart to say and lets them only ring in her mind. For as appropriate as she thinks them to be for Kankuro, that sentence could be turned and told to her just the same. Yet, she is unwilling to let go. There is a little boy she wants to save in him. Brother's are suppose to be the best of friends, Kankuro once shared with Gaara.

' _This world is all wrong!_ ' Sakura thinks, her chest tightening. ' _Do I really have to remind Gaara all over again?!_ '

Sakura stiffens as she feels a gentle hand rest on her back and she gasps before looking up at Kankuro. She hadn't noticed him but he had made his way quickly to her side upon seeing her distraught face.

"Sakaasan," he tries to soothe her. "It's going to be alright. You'll-uh...see. Gaara has no intention of letting anything bad happen to you. If for some bizarre reason he can't protect you, I'll be right there."

She is surprised to feel him tighten his hold on her, giving a gentle embrace from the side.

"We're family. We stick together to help one another. The secret to making all of this work out is by sticking together," he whispers.

Sakura leans in to his hug. Allows to let some of his comfort ease her heart. Yet, at the same time, she remembers what is wrong with this scenario. Family, Kankuro calls them, yet Gaara forsakes him. Protection, Kankuro promises, yet he is just as guilty of keeping her prisoner here as much as Gaara is. Trust, is his hidden message, yet deeper hidden is many, many secrets, and somehow she feels Kankuro keeps his own dark ones buried away.

" _I'm not the mad one here!_ " Gaara echoes again as Kankuro holds her tighter.

It would be nice to rely on this man, Sakura thinks. His kindness almost masks the trauma Sakura has seen in him, but she only smiles at his gesture now before pulling away from his hug. In the end, the only one she can trust, for now, is herself. As she straightens herself, Kankuro comes back to face her.

"Are you alright?" he asks.

Sakura nods but grimaces when the smell hits her again. It's too much to ignore anymore, especially as Gaara's words keep repeating in her mind possibly because of it. She nudges her head then towards the closed curtains, watching Kankuro's face fall before she even asks.

"What are you doing with that cadaver?" she asks with stern eyes.

Kankuro's face falls more to Sakura's blunt question. Her own expertise helping her to identify the smell easily, yet it seems the brunette is surprised Sakura could figure such a thing out without her even peeking an eye over the curtain.

"I'm-I'm-uh..." Kankuro rambles before stopping.

The older man sighs before shaking his head to clear his thoughts.

"Fallen men from our army. Some of them have no family to be returned to. I prepare them for burial."

Kankuro's eyes are far from Sakura's instead looking sternly towards the curtain. Sakura is surprised by the answer, yet relieved as well. Gaara has placed a darkness on Kankuro's name for her, but she intends to keep an open heart for both of these men. If this is what Kankuro is  _truly_  doing with a deceased body, she can only trust him at this point.

"Lemon masks the scent well," she offers him some insight from her own work. "Just a spray, or a candle with a lemon scent can really-"

"Ah, Sakaasan," Kankuro whines lightly, pulling his hood down around his eyes. "I'm sorry! I guess I'm-I'm just use to the smell. I had no idea that-while you're just sitting here...I thought maybe you couldn't-or that it wasn't that strong of smell yet, you know?!"

As Sakura tries to make sense of his fast words, Kankuro suddenly reaches for her free hand.

"Please...you don't need to keep me company. You can leave now. I mean, I appreciate you visiting and-and I want to do it again soon, but now I'm so embarrassed and-"

Sakura's eyes widen once she feels Kankuro begin to push her out towards the door by her shoulders. As this happens, the reality of why she is even here in the first place comes back to mind.

"Kankuro, wait!" she tells him, pulling back her arm and hand from his grip.

His attention returns to her and he falls silent waiting on her as she begins to back up into the room.

"Gaara sent me to get you," Sakura tells him.

His eyes widen, looking past her in horror. It's enough time, and lineage, on his part for Sakura to turn around and face the brunette.

From this point on, Sakura will make it a mental note to not delay a message, or any sort of business, that comes from Gaara. She doesn't make this note for her sake though, since Gaara is someone she does not fear, but instead for others like Kankuro. The puppeteer's dropped, pale face tells her she has sent him to a world of worry and stress. Possibly, rightfully so, for his siblings show him that fear in front of her, and even Temari's life is threatened unless she returns.

Still, Kankuro's face morphs the moment he feels Sakura's stare on him, and the moment he turns to her, the rosette can't help but whisper.

"Will he try to hurt you now? Because of how long we've kept him?"

Sakura narrows her eyes the moment Kankuro forces a smile and what irks her more is the obvious lie that rolls off his tongue.

"I'll be alright. I'll-I'll be fine, Sakaasan," he says with an added, nervous chuckle. "Don't worry about me. Me-I mean I know my brother well. We should go though, nothing interesting in this...uh, room. You know?"

Kankuro's words stumble, and there is a rush in him Sakura senses with ease. His anxiety presses him to turn his back towards the rosette, and Sakura wonders if this erroneous display reflects Kankuro's ninja skills.

' _No,_ ' the rosette thinks, taking a step back towards Kankuro's work table. ' _It's just he has trust in me._ '

Her eyes are trained on Kankuro, and the only movement that comes from her next is her free hand reaching for the kunai Kankuro has left on his workbench under the puppet's arm. She slips the kunai into her long sleeve and takes a quiet step forward by the time Kankuro's eyes return to her.

' _Kankuro,_ ' Sakura mentally thinks. ' _You say you'll protect me, but don't think I won't do the same for you. Even if it's against Gaara._ '

As Kankuro offers her another, mocking smile, Sakura returns one of her own. She is confident that, unlike the brunette, her smile is taken genuinely by him. After all, working years together with a man who was once nothing but false emotions has taught her better to look deeper past smiles.

"Ready?" Kankuro asks her, nudging his head for Sakura to lead them.

The rosette nods, marching along with Kankuro's steps behind her. Yet, after a few steps, Sakura halts her movements and turns her head back to peer over Kankuro's shoulder. The heavy door at the end of the hallway is a reminder for her of what lays behind it.

' _What are those cells for…?_ ' Sakura asks in her mind

Dead bodies need no cages, she recalls. As kind as Kankuro has been, even speaking to her encouragingly, Gaara's dark voice echoes once more in her mind.

" _I'm not the mad one here. Kankuro has killed more men and women than I!_ "

Sakura's lips purse then, almost too afraid to ask Kankuro to reveal what those cages are for. Yet, as she opens her mouth, she feels a powerful grip on her shoulder. Kankuro towers over her, and even presses his body closer to her to shield her eyes from the door behind them. Instead of on her, his gaze is narrowed ahead of them, and there is a sudden dark aura Sakura feels as she looks up at Kankuro; a familiar one that she has felt come from his brother than him. Once she thinks about it more closely, the grip he has on her is a little too heavy for comfort, and there is just the faintest hint of force he uses on her to send her in the direction he wants her to go.

"Let's go," he speaks, his voice almost deep. "There is nothing of interest here. Gaara will be expecting us."

The fear of meeting with Gaara seems completely gone as Kankuro speaks. His voice is clear and deep, and his words and grip are authoritative. She had heard him speak like this once before. Upon her capture, he had spoken to her in the same manner. It must be moments like this that bring out the captain Gaara has put him to be, even if the redhead is quick to tell her the actions of his captains are deplorable at times.

The thought of Gaara, and how Kankuro's face had fallen moments ago to the mention of him, are what push her to face forward now. Though, the cells behind her are a question for Kankuro at a later time. Her steps continue once Kankuro's hand falls from her shoulder.

"Gaara threatened Temari," Sakura speaks.

It's not surprising for her to hear Kankuro's steps suddenly stop and she turns once again to meet his flushed, dropped face. For the moment, Sakura feels guilty. Even if she didn't force the situation, she feels partially at fault for these siblings lives to be in danger constantly because of her.

"I just thought you should know," Sakura says. "It's the only reason he allowed me to come get you."

She says these things not to just show Kankuro how twisted Gaara has become, but to also shed light on her own predicament. Kankuro had told her Gaara worried to lose her again, but she wants Kankuro to know she does not stay willingly. Sakura's words also make a realization dawn on her. It would have been no trouble to send Temari to fetch Kankuro while she wait with Gaara, and she realizes now Gaara had only sent her to unveil something secret for her.

' _What did he want me to see?!_ ' Sakura suddenly thinks, her eyes narrowing as she recalls all in Kankuro's room.

She despises that Gaara envelops her more and more into his game but also can't help herself but analyze for what purpose the redhead sent her alone.

' _Did he want to see if I'd run? To see if I still cared for Temari and Kankuro?_ '

Her steps continue as Kankuro presses her to continue, more urgently now as he hears about his sister. Yet, with her strides does her mind fall back to what it was Gaara could have possibly wanted achieved in this moment.

' _The dead body?_ ' she thinks. ' _Did he think something like that would frighten me?_ '

She stops the moment Kankuro rushes ahead of her and watches as he reaches to open the door to her room. He allows her in first out of courtesy, and she does take the next steps in while her mind continues to try to unravel a mystery that may, or may not, be there.

' _The cells?_ ' she thinks. ' _Was there more I was meant to press on and see?!_ '

She feels Kankuro's steps follow behind her but her mind suddenly screams of danger the moment the door behind Kankuro shuts. It happens in a flash, and it wipes all of Sakura's previous thoughts and instead turns on her combat skills. Even if she is wounded, even if she can call no chakra to aid her, she turns just in time to bring that hidden kunai under her sleeve up against Gaara's neck. She blinks when his absolute defense shields the knife's sharp edge from touching his skin, and blinks again to evaluate what exactly Gaara's intent is here.

"You kept me waiting! For what reason?!" Gaara's voice bellows out as her eyes focus on him.

Even if his grains push against it, Sakura keeps the kunai firm in place and has stopped Gaara in his tracks, and his true intentions. Gaara's hand, almost like a claw now with sharp nails, has Kankuro pinned against the wall behind Sakura. Dark markings lace up his arm like a sleeve and it becomes clear to Sakura then that his intention was to harm Kankuro, maybe even kill had she not stepped in and placed her kunai, and herself, between Gaara and Kankuro. The fallen face, Kankuro had once Sakura had told him that Gaara called for him, returns.

Despite his focus first being on Kankuro, his eyes do fall to the kunoichi under him. He scowls at her kunai first before meeting with her narrowed gaze.

"Where did you get that?" he hisses.

Sakura, for the moment, glances at the arm that still reaches for Kankuro before speaking.

"I stole it," she tells him truthfully. "Let him go and promise me you won't hurt him. I'll return it if you do."

Gaara suddenly grins, her bravado exciting him and the whole situation viewed once again as amusing play in his eyes.

"Oh?" he asks, crooking his head and pressing his face closer towards Sakura.

By doing this, he also presses his neck closer towards Sakura's raise kunai. His defense of sand ripples and waves harder as the contact between neck and blade comes closer and more threatening against him.

"Are you sure about that?" Gaara speaks through his teeth. "This isn't just another promise you intend to break, is it? I can easily just take that kunai from you anyway,"

The comment makes Sakura scowl and she grinds her teeth as she thinks of the man in front of her as a child. The tears he must have shed from her departure, the twist Shukaku placed on her teachings and words, the hopeless abandonment that came through the years he went without her.

"I can break your sand," she threatens instead, hoping to wash away the hurt she knows Gaara must have gone through.

Even if it's a bluff now, she continues.

"I will break through your sand and cut your throat if you hurt Kankuro."

Her angry eyes narrow all the more as she watches Gaara grin. He learns then he has struck a nerve, and no doubt will he use moments like this against her. Still, he slowly retracts from Sakura, and takes his arm off of Kankuro. He brings his claw-like hand back to his side just in time for Sakura to spot the last of his dark markings disappear back to his normal colored flesh.

' _It's just like Sasuke's cursed mark..._ ' Sakura at first thinks.

She wastes no time on the idea and instead marches closer towards Gaara as the young man begins to inspect his arm. His eyes fall on to the object she now offers him.

"Here," she tells him. "Just keep your end of the deal."

Gaara stares at the object in her hand, uninterested while he looks at it. Yet, in time, a smirk finds him before his eyes lift towards Sakura.

"You think I fear such petty equipment? It's been years since I've felt the cold, sharp edge of a blade," he says.

He crooks his head again towards Sakura, a grin spreading.

"Keep it. It would be amusing if you managed to remind me what a cut felt like."

Sakura grips the kunai hard hearing Gaara say such things. Not only is his enjoyment in her severely misplaced, hoping her to harm him, but there's also another message he is telling her.

" _I will make no such promise not to harm Kankuro._ "

Seeing the glint of amusement in his eyes, and the annoying grin he holds, Sakura is sure he knows her to know that hidden message as well.

' _This is all a game to him_ ,' Sakura thinks. ' _He plays dirty._ '

Gaara is learning what nerves Sakura, what irks her to the point of irrational. Worst of all, Sakura realizes as she watches Gaara approach Kankuro, he knows exactly now how to threaten her. With two lives being endangered twice today, Sakura is sure Gaara will use his two siblings against her if she acts out.

Then again, she remembers Kankuro's words. There is something about her Gaara wishes to keep. Perhaps, it is answers. Perhaps, it is a bond he wishes to replenish. Perhaps, it is confusion for him, she may be a mystery for him he wishes to solve. Nonetheless, whatever the reason, he keeps her. Even if he has threatened her not to leave his sight, he may be attentive to her needs like Kankuro had mentioned. A pushover, Kankuro had called him

' _Just how far can I push…?_ ' Sakura thinks.

Yet, the idea bothers her. In the end, she would just be playing as dirty as he is, and she finds it hard to do that to the little boy she knew him to once be. Still, she is curious. Maybe she will begin treading that water lightly, just to see if what Kankuro says is true. Not to mention, garnering trust can only benefit her from this point.

Sakura turns her head when she feels a gaze on her. Her thoughts vanish as her eyes suddenly meet with Temari's. The blonde remains some distance away, but nonetheless sends Sakura a plea then in her gaze. One that Gaara cannot see as his back faces the two women.

"What?" Sakura mouths, confused.

Temari turns her eyes towards Kankuro and Sakura follows. It is then she listens more carefully to their conversation.

"Gaara-sama, I-" Kankuro speaks, his head low.

"Just shut up," Gaara interrupts. "If I let you speak you won't get a sentence in until tomorrow. I'm sending you to help with the fight up North."

Sakura heart drops upon hearing that. Though she knows how strong and capable Kankuro is, it's always a concerning thought hearing of friends or family sent to a fight they may not win. It is at this moment Temari also stands herself and treads towards Gaara.

"Gaara-sama, if I may speak," she says, and Sakura watches that gaze of worry whiz by her before it falls as Temari looks towards Gaara in wait.

To this, Gaara rolls his eyes and lifts his head up. An annoyed grunt escapes him before he replies.

"No, you may not. I'm sensing a pattern here and you two are pressing on my last-"

"Let her speak," Sakura interrupts.

All heads and eyes turn towards Sakura then. Though not her place, it's an opportunity just to test the waters like she was wanting before. Does Gaara actually value her say, even if it goes beyond his siblings? Is he trying now to appease the rosette like Kankuro spoke of? Not to mention, there is a worry in Temari that concerns her as well.

' _She is protective of Kankuro,_ ' she recalls.

It is a trait the blonde has carried with her growing up.

There is shock in the older siblings eyes, one they try their best to mask. Gaara, as well, tries to send to rosette an apathetic gaze, yet behind his dull orbs is amusement once again, but above that, confusion. When no words are spoken, Sakura presses.

"I'd like to hear what Temari has to say," Sakura speaks, and feigns a look of concern as she steps closer towards Gaara. "Please."

Sakura studies Gaara carefully then, watches how a heavy swallow bounces in his throat before he narrows his eyes and turns them away from Sakura. Just like when he was a child, Sakura recognizes his confusion leading him into anger. Just when she thinks her idea a failure, Gaara turns his back on them all and finally gives his answer.

"Speak quickly, Temari," he orders.

"Uh-Ah!" Temari quips, off-guard. "My lord, I just wanted to speak and say my men and I are better off suited to help the fight up North than Kankuro."

"Temari..." Kankuro whispers under his breath. "Don't."

So, that was it then, just as Sakura had guessed. Temari only presses to be the savior she thinks her brother needs. The two press on with their reasons why they should be sent instead of the other, but their conversations fall on deaf ears while Sakura turns to look at Gaara's back. With his back turned to them all, he stands poised with his arms crossed. No doubt, Sakura assumes, that he cares not for what his siblings say but instead on what Sakura has achieved in making him do. Perhaps he is annoyed, amused, confused or garners all those emotions. Maybe he even falls back onto old feelings from the past, ones that Sakura may have been the only one to bring out in him.

Whatever the reason, it is Sakura's turn to smirk then. Even if she still believes it to be cheating on her part, she has taken one step closer in being victorious in this game.

' _Well,_ ' she thinks to herself. ' _I just learned something new to use._ '


	52. Chapter 52

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a little note to those who review and have been actively reviewing the latest chapters - First of all, thank you so much! Reviews are always so fun to read, and I love hearing others thoughts.
> 
> Just know though, especially now that I'm getting guesses/speculations from others, this story isn't this great mystery that needs to be figured out right now nor ever really. Guys, all this story really is, and ever going to be, is just Gaara and Sakura chatting away and fighting and drama and angst.
> 
> Don't get me wrong. I love all the reviews. I love all the guesses. I love all your thoughts and ideas, but this story is too simple to treat it as something big. That all said, just enjoy the story. Hell, I don't even need reviews if ya'll find 'em tedious to type out. I just want people to enjoy reading this as much as I enjoy writing it.
> 
> We're a rare group as it is, GaaSaku folks, so I just want people to enjoy in the simplest way they can. If, by some odd chance, there are some of you who want to talk about this story deeply, just shoot me a message. Whether on here, or on tumblr, we can talk privately and I'll share with you in your questions and whatever more you want from this story.
> 
> ...Just as long as you realize I'm probably as insane as these characters I write. ;) I'll chase you down and keep you here with me if you make me fall in love with you.
> 
> But, also, feel free to do whatever you want. You wanna review? You wanna speculate? You wanna make guesses? Go for it, I read every review and am grateful for your time.
> 
> Thanks guys, enjoy!

In the end, even if Sakura had encouraged Gaara to let his sister speak, his order still stood.

"Don't come back if you mess this up," he had warned Kankuro.

The brunette nodded in understanding while the blonde hung her head low and hid her worried eyes. Sakura, meanwhile, stepped forward to give the departing his goodbye. Even if she was against this fight, she had every intention of wishing Kankuro well and quick, safe return home. After all, it could be the very last time she…

' _No,_ ' she quickly brush away the idea. ' _He'll be fine._ '

Yet, Kankuro gave Sakura no gaze and did not stop from turning away from her approach. He left in silence, head held high as he promised his little brother that triumph would come soon. His glance never even shifted towards Temari, who continued to keep her head down and remain silent in Gaara's presence. They were siblings and with Sakura, friends, yet Kankuro's goodbye was nothing more than a somber move with silent, wistful voices. And it was all because of the redhead who gave his brother's departure no second thought. The aftermath was instead a turn by Gaara towards Temari's sunken head.

"You will watch Sakura while I go freshen up and attend on a few other matters," Gaara speaks, with a hint of distaste for his own words. "Help her to do the same, and attend on whatever matters she wishes."

"Yes, Gaara-sama," Temari whispers.

There is a pain in Temari's voice Sakura catches with ease, yet Gaara chooses to ignore, or does not interpret through her tone. Gaara instead approaches Sakura, his face passive as he studies her for a moment before speaking.

"I needn't remind, or display, once again what will happen if you try to run," Gaara begins.

Sakura cuts him off with a shake off her head and her back turning towards him while she speaks.

"Go. If I never see you again, it will be all too soon. Just because I can only use one arm does not mean I can't manage on my own."

An uncanny silence follows and Sakura realizes quick that the new tension stems from her words.

" _If I never see you again, it will be_ _all_ _too soon._ "

Sakura speaks out sentences that begin through the emotions she feels at the moment. Yet, she is quick to be the first to realize her words may have Gaara interpreting her in a wrongful manner. That, or she is trying to hint to him a double meaning. It's not enough to make the rosette turn and face Gaara and she stands silent still with a promise to her words, but blind to the sour grimace Gaara sends her way.

"Make sure she doesn't  _escape_ ," Gaara practically hisses at Temari before storming out of the room.

At the sound of departure Sakura hefts out a breathy sigh before turning to face the only door out of the room. In her mind is both regret and curiosity. Kankuro had told Sakura that Gaara would be a pushover when it came to her, and going by how he had listened to her moments ago and allowed Temari to speak after her suggestion, Sakura continues to humor the idea.

' _Maybe I'm pushing it though..._ ' she thinks while chewing her bottom lip. ' _As much as I want to I can't be snapping at him left and right. He's probably pissed after that comment..._ '

She can push as much as she likes, Sakura knows. Too many things, including how she treats Gaara now, she finds herself justified to do. Yet…

' _I can't push and give_ _nothing_ _. He'll never trust me if I do that, but..._ ' Sakura's mind travels as she straddles her thumb between her teeth. ' _It's so hard to act that way towards that conceited bastard._ '

She bites a little harder when the little boy, Gaara once was, comes back to mind.

"Shall I run you a bath, Sakura-sama?" Temari mutters.

Though deep in her thoughts, Sakura hasn't forgotten the other woman's presence. Even if Temari has witnessed the distaste Sakura sends in Gaara's direction, the rosette chooses not to hide it and even waves her hand almost dismissively towards Temari.

"I can run my own bath," Sakura sneers.

Her acrimony words stem from Gaara's suggestion than it does Temari's offer and presence. There is still the idea that Temari is guilty in all of this mess just as much as Gaara, yet the question still remains for Sakura where the blonde truly stands. Does she follow her youngest brother blindly like Kankuro does, or is there a fear instilled in her Sakura believes Gaara uses to gain his followers?

' _She was going to kill me back on that platform had Gaara said to,_ ' Sakura thinks, her eyes narrowing more. ' _She even suggested to Kankuro to do the same before Gaara learned I was here._ '

Though Gaara orders Temari to do as he pleases, Sakura is almost positive that Temari now is still hostile to her forthcoming presence.

' _She may not even think me the real Sakura..._ ' Sakura thinks.

Kankuro accepts who she is, Gaara teeters on who Sakura really is depending on his mood, and Temari thinks her presence false. Sakura almost wants to smirk at the idea that all three siblings view her so drastically different now, but instead turns gentle eyes towards Temari.

"Also, drop the name. I'm just Sakura, remember?" Sakura says with a warm smile.

She is disappointed to see Temari's eyes fall fast from her own gaze and instead keeps her head lowered towards the rosette.

"If that is your wish, Sakura," Temari mutters.

Sakura had once mentally praised Temari for her spirit. In her younger years, she walked with her chest held high and a declaration to Sakura that she was as capable as any other ninja in Suna. She meddled with the adult world, despite her age, and had revealed a song to Gaara that forever changed his view on his mother and her love for her children.

Now, seeing Temari coiled in the corner with her head low and an obedience that would make her loyal at the snap of Sakura's finger is a new, and another of many, disheartening displays Sakura witnesses. Temari wasn't the most welcome upon Sakura's arrival, so it makes the rosette ponder again at Temari's current feelings.

' _She trembles..._ ' Sakura remembers.

Her emerald orbs travel up and down Temari's frame and Sakura narrows her eyes as she watches the other woman be as still as a rock. It speaks silently to the rosette and she is able to easily interpret.

"You're scared of Gaara," Sakura whispers. "You shake when you're near him."

Her voice is loud enough for Temari to hear, she had meant it to, and her words are more of a statement than a question. What surprises Sakura the most is the reaction she suddenly gets. Temari's eyes and head shoot up to stare at Sakura in wide eyes, as if what Sakura claims is bewildering. Yet, her words almost contradict her round eyes.

"I stand next to that which I fear. I serve that which I fear. I cling to that which I fear. I stand next to that which I fear, for only then do I learn to overcome. I fear him, because he is my sovereign and powerful."

Temari recites this in monotone and she speaks highly of Gaara much like Kankuro does. Despite the meaning of her words though, her eyes are still wide and finicky and they even shift towards the door from time to time.

"Your  _sovereign_ is your own little brother. A man who, at any minute, could kill over like any one of us," Sakura says while shaking her head. "You shouldn't fear a man who could be so easily killed."

The room falls silent for the moment and Sakura hopes she has spoken some sense into Temari. Alas, the blonde's next words only aggravate her more.

"Please, don't speak that way about Gaara-sa-" Temari begins, but stops when Sakura sighs and turns heel.

The rosette waves her hand dismissively again.

"I got it. I got it.  _Gaara_  is so great," Sakura scoffs. "He kills innocent men and threatens yours, and Kankuro's, life. He is  _such_  a prominent leader."

Sakura turns in the direction of the bathroom, ready to abandon Temari and her hyped praise for her youngest brother.

"I'm afraid of him."

It's almost like the wind speaks, but that sentence does find Sakura and it's more than enough to make the rosette stop in her tracks. Once she turns to face Temari, Sakura is met once again with a downcast look and bowed head. Silence follows, and Sakura is about to ask Temari to repeat herself before the blonde does so on her own accord.

"My fear of Gaara has never left me..." Temari trails, bringing her guilty eyes slowly up to Sakura.

The hidden message than becomes all the more clear, and Sakura practically scrambles to get close enough to hear Temari's echoes, as well as hide her own whispers.

"You fear Gaara?" Sakura asks this time in question, almost in shock and awe at Temari's confession. "All these years, and you still…?"

A sad thought for Sakura, Temari's fear of her little brother at her young age wasn't entirely cast aside. Like Gaara and his anger, Temari's fear seems to have grown over the many years than dissipate. Love was suppose to blossom between siblings, instead Sakura is witness to the torn family she tried to tie together.

They stare at one another, both wide-eyed and in wonder at the other. For Sakura, listening to Kankuro and even some of Temari, made her feel as though she would meet no one anytime soon that would see Gaara the way she has been witnessing. For Temari, the feeling is mutual, yet unlike Sakura, the wait has been for years and years, and she has felt Gaara's anger and claws many, many times. Their eyes reveal to one another a sense of understanding, relief, even if Temari harbors the idea that Sakura is a new person in her life, there is comfort that settles in her frame.

Still, one thing differs entirely from the two.

"I will probably always be afraid of my little brother," Temari confesses, her eyes dulling as she says this.

Yet, Sakura is desperate. Desperate not to be alone in this fight, and she startles Temari by clasping her free hand onto one of Temari's own.

"Tell me, Temari," Sakura begs, her voice trying to keep quiet. "Please tell me you see all this fighting senseless as well! You have to realize what Gaara does is wrong!"

Bravado returns in the blonde. Sakura's words shake Temari and her eyes brighten and clear, but her next words do not ease Sakura's heart.

"Of course I know!" Temari hisses with angry eyes. "But this is what Gaara wants!"

Her final words make Sakura take step back, confusion morphing Sakura's face as she stares at Temari's own stern look. Temari recognizes the vagueness in her words, and may even feel a little guilty as to what she will say next, for she downs her eyes once again away from Sakura.

"I don't understand..." Sakura speaks then, eyes still wide. "If you know this fighting is wrong, if you understand that something dark is happening to Gaara than why are you allowing this to happen?"

Temari's lip purse then and they quiver as she refuses to speak.

"Temari!" Sakura booms.

Narrow eyes return to Sakura and Temari grounds her teeth at the thought of Sakura not understanding her own plight. After all, she could never be placed in the shoes of a loving sister.

"I fear Gaara. I have feared him my whole life..." Temari spits back, shaking. "But he is my  _brother_."

It's Sakura's turn to feel guilt weigh on her to such abrupt words. Before she can even get a say in, Temari continues.

"I am his sister. His oldest sibling! I am the only one of the three of us to even remember our mother's face!"

Sakura swallows hard at the mention of Karura and some small instance of understanding begins to turn the wheels in Sakura's mind.

' _She does this out of love. For the sake of the family they were suppose to be..._ '

"Do you see it now?" Temari questions with a skip of desperate laugh. "It's my job to make sure Gaara and Kankuro stay safe. It's my job to make sure my little brothers are happy. It's my job to fix what my father ruined and what my mom wanted so desperately from us."

In some light, Sakura can agree with Temari. After all, she wants just the same for Gaara and Kankuro, and even more for hoping Temari to have just as a happy outcome. There was a responsibility she placed within herself the longer she spent time with these children. A need built in here to see these children succeed, prosper and love. Even if she knew their outcome was exactly that already, she pushed to teach these children to love one another early on. Perhaps, Sakura wonders now, that was her downfall and what led Gaara down this destructive path. Either thought, Sakura agrees with Temari. The blonde feels it her duty to basically finish what her mother wanted of her children. Yet, for Sakura, that duty is fervent in her heart even more seeing the young woman in despair in front of her.

If these children were meant to have a happy outcome, the one their mother had wanted for them, Sakura can see now that fruition may not come to be. She feels bad at the idea, and that not only has she let the siblings down but also the wish of their mother. Temari, possibly, feels the same. Sakura understands Temari's turmoil now, she is stuck in a situation both out of fear from Gaara but also because she will only feel accomplished if Gaara finds happiness through winning this war. She does as her brother's want, Kankuro included, for their happiness is her own. Their success is her own, their love is her own, their peace is her own. She has fought a war she hates, all for the sake of her brothers.

' _That is love..._ ' Sakura thinks.

Sakura's hands slumps then and she stares long at Temari who seems almost on the verge of tears. Pity in Sakura's look, yet she realizes what strength Temari must have carried out throughout all this mess. Another realization dawns on Sakura then.

' _There's no way I could convince her to go against Gaara..._ '

In the end, Sakura realizes she can convince no one in this house to step back and aim their blade at Gaara. The two oldest siblings hold on to a powerful love they began for Gaara in their childhood, but also a deadly fear of the power he has. He can hurt them at drop of a dime, yet they each follow in hopes he will turn once again towards them with gratitude, and love.

' _This is so cruel..._ ' Sakura thinks, biting her quivering lip. ' _How in the hell did a future like this happen?!_ "

Another question comes to Sakura's mind then, one she has been anticipating to ask.

"You're afraid of Gaara," Sakura comments, pausing and waiting for Temari to look up at her once more. "And Kankuro...You tremble when he is near as well."

Temari's moist eyes widen and her head whips fast to look again at Sakura with shocked eyes. A long pause follows and her wait makes Sakura eyes narrow at the message conveyed. Temari is scared of Gaara, and that quaking fear follows towards her other brother as well.

"He..." Temari begins before shaking her head. "I don't even know why I'm speaking to you about these matters. I don't even know  _who_  you are."

A sneer from Temari forms and she casts her head to the side with angry eyes.

"Fine," Sakura comments, her heart still light to the other woman. "You don't have to believe me as the Sakura you knew in the past."

Temari's eyes turn back up towards Sakura. Curious from the rosette's words, but also mindful that this may be a declaration on Sakura's part for not having any connection to the Sakura she once knew. Sakura, meanwhile, takes a step closer to Temari and surprises the woman more by offering her a smile.

"If I have to, Temari," Sakura begins, "I don't mind starting over. I don't care who you perceive me as..."

Temari is startled once again as Sakura makes a reach for her hand grasping it gently in her own. Before Temari can pull away, she is stolen once more by Sakura's approach and words.

"I just want to be your friend still. We may not spend the days coloring, eating cookies, or playing with each other's hair," Sakura's smile grows before she presses, "but I'm sure we can find new ways now to grow that friendship we both remember we started all those years ago."

Temari's eyes are still round but they moisten once again from recognition of their shared past, as well as the gentle kindness Sakura offers Temari now.

"I...you-" Temari fuddles with words, before clearing her throat.

Temari gently slides her hand away from Sakura and her eyes bat away whatever water left before her stern face returns to look up at Sakura.

"I am here to serve," Temari speaks professionally.

At this notion Sakura sighs in what, she assumes, defeat. Yet, Temari's next words make her eyes round this time.

"Information regarding the war, or Gaara-sama, can only be discussed when he is present. However, if it's a... _friend_ you wish me to be than I must obey."

Sakura grins as she sees Temari smirk. The older woman is tough, even in Sakura's own world she knew not to get on the blonde's wrong-side. It comes as no surprise, then, that Temari doesn't outwardly convey that she shares Sakura's feelings on remaining friends. However, the twinkle in her eyes is just enough message for Sakura to understand that, whoever Temari perceives her as, she is grateful for her then. If there is a blade that is needed pointed at her or Gaara, Sakura is more than certain Temari will stand in front of her brother in defense and do what she can in her power to strike Sakura down, but Temari is willing to convey to her that bond she is willing to strengthen.

Her love for her brothers is a great one. It has become all the more evident that Temari puts herself in harms way to keep Kankuro safe. With Gaara, on the battlefield, Sakura is certain Temari watches out for him as well.

Sakura's quick thinking disperses once Temari speaks again.

"If you are asking me a question in regards to my feelings for Kankuro,  _that_ I can answer you. Some things regarding Kankuro and I may be ones I can answer you. Depending on the question that is," Temari states.

Sakura ears feel like they perk to Temari's words then. Though it is Gaara she'd rather learn more about, Kankuro's own situation is a curious one as well. Though continuously kind to her, Sakura has seen the brunette's unstable mentality. War can take its toll in many different ways, but Sakura grows unsure if fighting is what made Kankuro the man he is today. Not to mention, Gaara's own warning still stews in her mind.

"Then..." Sakura murmurs. "My previous question…?"

Temari's eyes fall immediately and she inhales deeply. It is a question she can answer Sakura realizes, yet…

"If it troubles you then I don't want to pressure you, Temari. Just because I ask, and your allowed to, you don't have to answer me if you don't feel comfortable."

Sakura stares as she watches Temari shake her head and let out the giant breath she drew in.

"Gaara-sama has asked me to do which you command," Temari speaks, stern eyes returning to Sakura.

Sakura opens her mouth to rebuttal, to remind her she is a free woman that follows no one. Yet, she pauses when a thought comes to her.

' _Perhaps,_ ' Sakura thinks. ' _That is Temari's excuse to reveal her inner feelings..._ '

In odd, therapeutic method for someone, Sakura thinks. There are feelings and heavy weights on Temari's chest she would like to convey to Sakura. Her sisterly duty has kept these emotions and worries to herself, and that product of her would continue on were it not for the opportunity she has now. The opportunity she feel she can't back out of due to Gaara's orders.

"I love my brothers both so much," Temari continues. "I...I also fear them both."

Admittance. It shakes Sakura to hear Temari speak of Kankuro this way and the blonde seems shocked as well as her eyes widen at Sakura. Temari is probably in awe of herself, but nonetheless watches speechlessly as Sakura in turn shuffles uncomfortably in her spot. For the rosette, another mystery is is growing and for the moment, as her curiosity peaks, she wonders if this is how Rasa felt those many times he cornered Sakura into telling him her secrets. Sakura even licks her dry lips in anticipation for the next answer for her next question.

"Why?"

Temari's round eyes widen more to Sakura's question. It may be because Temari now realizes the seeds she plants elaborating how she truly feels, that, or it may be Sakura's hungry eyes that remind her that the rosette may indeed not have her, nor her brothers, best interest in mind. Slowly, Temari shakes head.

"I cannot say without Gaara's consent," she mumbles out.

Yet, the answer is not good enough for Sakura, and she is desperate that her appetite of answers be quenched. Even if it means pressing the blonde woman endlessly.

' _What is Kankuro doing..._ ' Sakura thinks. ' _What does he do to garner Temari's fear as well? To have Gaara claim he is much worse_ _tha_ _n_ _himself_ _..._ '

Sakura feels a lump in her throat when the bodies the brunette keeps come to mind.

"Temari," she calls the blonde again. "Kankuro told me about the cadaver he keeps now-"

Sakura pauses as Temari's face flushes white; her reaction now is already an answer for Sakura. Yet, the rosette presses on, hoping to hear otherwise.

"-He told me about the bodies he takes up from the battlefield. Ones that no families claim, just to prepare them for burial himself. Is what he says true?"

Temari's eyes downcast once again and the sigh makes Sakura heart drop. The blonde takes a moment to breathe deep before closing her eyes and whispering her peace.

"I love Kankuro very much," she whispers. "I would do anything to keep him safe and make sure he is happy. Yet...the one thing I cannot save him from is his own mind."

' _His mentality..._ 'Sakura thinks as her eyes shift.

Sakura is already very much aware of Kankuro's strain in his mind.

"I cannot tell you what it is he uses those bodies for unless Gaara allows it," Temari whispers, eyes still closed.

The blonde's fist suddenly tighten around her chest and she seethes and winces as if her next words cause her physical pain.

"But what Kankuro told you is not the truth," she finishes.

It's hard, but Sakura swallows the giant lump in her throat.

' _Of course,_ ' she thought. ' _He hurried me out. He tried to hide the body from me even though the smell was strong. There was something more to those cages!_ '

These three lives have altered completely and Sakura is still wondering how her presence, her love, had done all this.

' _No,_ ' she berates herself. ' _I did nothing wrong!_ '

War, fighting, young lives tossed into bloodshed, a boy who listens to the monster inside his mind...these are the things that brought upon this future, not Sakura. The heavy, guilty heart is still solid in her chest however, and the rosette's mind begins to sway that, if she had a choice, she may have chosen to never meet these three as children.

' _No,_ ' she tells herself again when Gaara's young smile appears in her mind. ' _I can't sacrifice him now._ '

"Temari," Sakura begins, a demand in her tone and angry eyes on the blonde. "You need to tell me what he-!'

Sakura pauses her voice the moment she takes in Temari's appearance. The blonde is trembling once again, her fist still clenched on her chest, and she looks away with wavering eyes. Sakura's voice, obviously, is lost to the older woman as she instead delves into past instances that make her shake like a cornered cat.

And Sakura recognizes this.

In her heart, the rosette realizes to subject Temari anymore to her pressure in learning about Kankuro is heartless on her part. She has seen the physical harm Gaara threatens her with, as well as emotional heartache both brothers cause. To pressure anymore may be met with dire consequences. Something Temari does not need in her life right now, and one Sakura can't find the heart to pressure her into. Her answers, the ones she truly needs, will have to be pursued through Gaara.

"I'm sorry," Sakura comments, not surprised Temari's eyes are still distant from hers. "I won't push you into telling me things that pain you, Temari."

Finally, jade meets emerald, and Sakura offers a sympathetic smile to Temari's frightened features. As if her mind tells her that her trembling now is an unworthy sight, Temari straightens back out and clears her throat. She masks everything she has shown Sakura perfectly, and no one would think the wiser as she continues her facade.

"The one who needs to apologize is I, Sak-" Temari begins, but stops when Sakura motions her to do so.

"I think...it do us good to get some fresh air," Sakura offers.

Temari nods, with a warning they can only venture so far and with certain areas restricted. Yet, as Sakura steps out into the warm sun, and fresh, humid air finally clears her senses of the dark and dust, the rosette sulks none to Temari's words. Instead, she takes a moment to soak in the outdoors.

"The prisons?" Sakura begins to inquire.

Temari, who stands in front of her, turns her head in the direction of the mountains,

"Not without Gaara-sama's permission," she phrases.

Sakura sighs, but is not too disappointed. She anticipated an answer just the same. Instead she moves forward towards the lush jungle, sunlight grows hidden from the tall trees, and the calls of wild animals echo in the thick air. Temari trails behind her, and as many times as Sakura stops and hopes the young woman will come march by her side instead, Temari only matches Sakura's footsteps from behind. Eventually Sakura gives up, and walks in silent under the impression Temari will speak up when she treads too close to a territory she is certain Gaara would keep her from.

"In those prisons," Sakura speaks after some time, turning her eyes to look at Temari as she does so, "was a blue-eyed girl who shared a cell next to mine."

Sakura is surprised to see a hint of curiosity spark in Temari's eyes suddenly. The blonde only remains quiet and nods that she has heard Sakura, and that she may continue.

"She offered me fruit while I was there-" Sakura stops her words and movement once Temari does the same.

As much as she tries to shield her emotions, confusion and questions suddenly riddle with Temari's eyes and even morphs her face some. She may not admit to it, Sakura thinks, but for the rosette, she can easily catch that something suddenly catches Temari off guard. Sakura pretends she notices nothing and continues to speak instead.

"Can you thank her for me? When you travel to the prisons again."

Temari swallows hard but nonetheless nods.

"Of course, Sakura," Temari speaks with a slight bow of her head.

They are silent, but Temari's stare draws Sakura in and eventually the blonde speaks out.

"Did...Did the woman mention anything to you?"

Suspicion, Sakura suddenly thinks. Something about the blue-eyed girl makes Temari curious. Sakura half wonders if she has gotten the blue-eyed girl in trouble, and even if the girl offered Sakura comforting words and pried for answers, the rosette merely shakes her head.

"No. We did not share words. The guards made sure of that," Sakura answers.

Relief washes over Temari and it is Sakura's turn to be filled with curiosity and suspicion.

' _Perhaps, there is more to that girl,_ ' Sakura thinks.

Just another mystery she hopes to solve in time, but alas, she feels the only one capable of helping her out is Gaara. She has yet to figure out if he is the one most willing to help her find answers, or the most defending. In the end, Sakura knows Temari will offer her nothing right now and instead turns her head back to take a step forward.

A low rumble, followed by a small tremor, is what stops Sakura from taking that step. She feels Temari at her side instantly, her fan out and ready to defend the rosette. Yet, as soon as the shaking stops, it is a billow of smoke off in the distance and cries and shouts of men that make the two women stare up towards the mountain prison.

"What do you think that was?" Sakura asks Temari.

To that question, Sakura turns to stare at Temari. Anxiety suddenly plagues the blonde face and she shuffles on her feet while staring up at the mountain. Sakura realizes Temari is drawn in by what is happening, but lingers back for the sake of all that Gaara has told her to do. For Sakura, it's a welcome opportunity.

"Probably a riot," Temari answers her, and even takes a few steps forward in hope to listen in better on the distant shouts.

Alas, they are too far to make anything out, and the smoke is barely visible through the many, giant leaves. Temari looks out in the distance but Sakura's eyes are trained entirely on Temari's fidgety nature.

"You can go," Sakura offers Temari.

The blonde spins on her heels to stare at Sakura in disbelief. Temari's duty is to Sakura now, yet the rosette sees a calling the blonde would much rather answer.

"You can go," Sakura offers again; this time with a soft smile. "I will wait right here for you."

Temari swallows hard and stares back momentarily towards the mountain.

' _Got you,_ ' Sakura thinks.

"I will not leave this spot," Sakura ushers Temari along.

It is then the blonde woman groans but does in fact fold her fan and slide it onto her back.

"I won't be long, Sakura," Temari explains before jumping to the trees above and racing away.

Sakura gives the other a woman a minute just to be sure she won't sense her.

"I'm sorry, Temari," Sakura smiles in the direction Temari has ran. "I just have to take every chance I can."

This time, Sakura runs in the opposite direction. It doesn't take her long before dirt becomes sand and she slowly treads her way down the beach before she stops as the small waves brush against her shoes

' _I can't use my chakra,_ ' she thinks, staring out into the wide, blue ocean.

She takes in a deep breath of the sea breeze, recalling the many islands in this country. She deciphers their distance, which direction she would need to take if she chose to swim instead Yet, in the end, since she is unfamiliar as to where she is, she would be leaving herself up to chance reaching another land.

Her fists clench tight and she almost feels a burn in her back where the seal is.

' _I may not get another chance,_ ' Sakura thinks.

She lifts her foot, about to bring it down into the water next. Yet, a presence makes her suddenly still and voice calls out to her before she can take a step back.

"You must have been made for flight, Sakura. Intended for fleeing. While I, the pursuer."


	53. Chapter 53

His presence no longer deters her away nor envelops her curiosity. The young man is simply a boring mystery now and one Sakura only grows curious to solve at certain times. He disgusts her with his audacious attitude and the disregard he has with the lives of those who are meant to be close to him. For that reason, from his words, does she remain quiet while staring out towards the endless blue. Only the distant calls of birds, ocean waves, and salty sea breeze fills each of their senses. Yet… She sighs heavily when she admits, to herself then, that the bond she has with this man, from his childhood, is as prominent as the day she told him she loved him.

The man behind her would make her flee at the drop of a coin. However, the boy he was once was makes her plant her feet firmly in this spot.

She is unsure still as when he first asked her that if it is love that ties them together in an inseparable knot. She will admit, though, that there is a bond, even if she is tugging at the strings still to undo herself from him. At this point, she realizes Kankuro's words echo more and more each time she dwells on what to do next.

" _..._ _He just doesn't want to lose you again, you know? I'm sure he'll lighten up and give you more freedom soon. I know he really cares for you so it probably wouldn't take you much to turn him into a complete pushover._ "

' _I have to get him to trust me,_ ' she thinks.

Her stare is still hard at the crashing waves, but eventually, a smirk lifts her face some as she recollects a past scenario.

' _It's just like when he was young,_ ' she thinks. ' _I have to build that trust all over again._ '

It's her only plan now, yet still one Sakura worries will have an unhappy outcome. She cannot pretend to agree with this world he has helped to create that is painted in red from blood and flames of war, and she cannot comprehend what hurt may come to him if she grasps at a chance to escape.

' _I'll just have to try and change his mind,_ ' Sakura thinks.

If she is lucky, if he is quick to her side like his child self was, perhaps she can even influence him to cease fighting for a good period of time. It would help her friends and family back in Konoha to recoup. After all, as much as his presence now irks her, as long as they are together she knows he is not out killing others.

Plus, above it all, she just wants to learn what has happened to her little friend over the course of fifteen years.

"No," she whispers, finally answering Gaara behind her. "I was doing no such thing."

She isn't surprised to hear the scowl in Gaara's next words.

"You lie, Sakura."

That is true, but, she is pretty sure Gaara is slightly gullible and easy to believe what he wishes to believe.

The rosette holds her smile as she begins reaching for her shoes. She can feel Gaara's gaze settle on her like a hawk, but nonetheless continues to remove her shoes before settling them to the side and nestling herself to sit on the sand. Though it's a spur of the moment idea, the sensation of the cool ocean water splashing against her feet is calming feeling.

"I just wanted to relax my feet is all," she replies back.

She swallows hard, preparing herself to take her next course of her plan. Leaning back on her free arm, she turns that smile towards Gaara and isn't surprised that he meets her gaze with a hard grimace.

"Have you tried it yet? Come join me," she tells him.

Her smile turns into a grin but before she can let the young man delve back into that heartfelt beam, before he can even resurface a warm memory of her looking at him with that sort of light, she turns her head quickly back towards the ocean. It's like a tease, it beckons him, and Sakura smirks when she senses Gaara taking her bait. Yet, it's also a thought that aches the young woman's heart. So desperate he is for her smile again that her calls attract him easily like a loving puppy.

He approaches next to her, but does not sit and take in the manner she has offered him to do. Instead, he stands there with arms crossed as he stares out towards the ocean along with her.

"Sit!" Sakura comments. "It feels really good."

Looking up at him, his hard features remain unmoved and he sets them entirely at the world ahead of them. His attention only sways when Sakura lifts her foot and wiggles her toes as water gently drops from them.

"It's relaxing," she ushers him, turning her smile back to him.

As his hard eyes meet her smile she can sense them waver. Though he may not show it, she is certain he is puzzled by her antics. Yet, his firm stance next to her tells her he is intrigued enough to stay.

"It's no bathhouse, but the water is just as refreshing," Sakura murmurs.

It's bait once again, she murmurs events they share of the past, and before he can question or study her body language, she turns to look back at the ocean. Desperation in him suddenly surfaces, feelings of past he has learned to numb himself of, there's a threat in his mind that she is not what she seems and that pain, he twice endured, lurks in every corner.

Still… The temptation is almost too much.

Sakura has to turn her head more to hide her growing smirk as she listens to Gaara settle a seat next to her, and his actions clarify both what Kankuro has told her, but also what her aching heart has been trying to divulge to her; That the young man just may be desperate for that understanding Sakura gave him all those years ago.

' _Was truly no one ever kind to him these past years?_ ' Sakura wonders.

Yet, the question is forgotten once she feels Gaara's attention back on her and she turns to meet him with a smile.

"Now your feet," she tells him, nodding her head towards the ocean.

Yet, Gaara does not move to remove his shoes, instead he just stares hard at Sakura.

"What?" she asks, humor in her voice. "You don't-"

"What is it you are trying to accomplish exactly, Sakura?" Gaara cuts her off.

' _Caught,_ ' what her mind first tells her.

Yet, if she is honest with herself, the scenario, her vague words may just be enough to… Sakura's smile never falters and turns back towards the ocean.

"What?" she asks him in return. "It isn't obvious to you?"

Gaara's face is still hard once her eyes are back on him and she nestles her head to relax on her knees as she hugs her legs. Her relaxed, innocent stance seems to makes Gaara's hard stare let up some.

"I just want to be your friend again, Gaara."

Truest words she has possibly told him since their reunion and it morphs Gaara's face to a surprised look. Even his mouth goes agape as his eyes shine suddenly to Sakura. He need not say anything, for Sakura knows his words exactly.

' _This is just what you want too,_ ' she thinks.

Yet, another thought must overcome him, for he swallows hard before his eyes begin to sway.

"These childish acts don't garner friendship," he warns. "There is a bond between us, Sakura, but the friend I am looking for is the one that follows me into war. You were the first to set my stepping stones for this path. Will you not continue to lay out that path until I reach the end?"

Sakura sighs heavily and her eyes looks everywhere at the moment but him.

"I don't agree with this war," she murmurs. "There is no reason for this senseless bloodshed if all you wish to accomplish is your  _utopia_."

She turns her narrowed eyes towards him, mildly surprised that he doesn't share her angry look as well. She would assume this sort of rejection would make his blood boil, yet he sits calmly and waits on her to continue.

"The world is not meant for you, and your rules, only. That is why Kage's were formed, that is why countries are separated. Above that, there will always be someone who stands up against your beliefs, there will always be someone working there way to ensure your downfall. Only lonely souls seek out that sort of glory."

The faintest smirk suddenly appears on Gaara and it surprises Sakura once again.

"I am not where I am today had I succumbed to the blades of those who oppose me," Gaara tells her with a lift of his chin.

He need not explain his words, Sakura understands what it is he wishes to convey to her now.

" _I am strong. I fear no enemy._ _No one has stopped me. No one ever will._ "

Sakura merely shakes her head before turning her gaze away.

' _This scenario is close to Madara's own wish,_ ' Sakura thinks, the idea of the two worlds she is familiar with plays in her mind. ' _Maybe Gaara's role in this world is to match with Madara's from mine. If that's true, who has taken Gaara's role? Where is the kind Kazekage?_ '

Sakura's face grimaces all the harder and her features must speak to Gaara for he voices himself without her pressing for more.

"Sakura," he calls to her, and continues when she doesn't meet his gaze, "the rebels are a losing side. I have given them many opportunities to end this war, yet they refuse. I have given them ample chances to stop all this bloodshed-"

"What you ask for is absurd!" Sakura cuts him off, angry eyes settled back on him. "Of course they would refuse, you wish to dictate an entire world! Who would hand over the lives of everyone to one man?!"

"You've seen those rats who hide in Konoha!" Gaara barks back, his temper loose as he leans closer in towards Sakura before pounding his chest with a fist. "You've seen their numbers! Think of that sad, small, poor excuse of a group and then remember that those outside of Konoha follow me as their leader already! I already have most of the world watching my back!"

Sakura's eyes widen to this declaration and her mouth even drops some as she tries to comprehend those numbers.

' _How…_ _?_ ' she first wonders. ' _How could this man of accumulated so many?_ '

How could he convince so many around him to follow him blindly and destroy the world their ancestors worked hard to create.

' _Maybe it's fear,_ ' she thinks. ' _Perhaps, as his numbers grew, he convinced people through fear to join him. Maybe they would rather follow him than die now..._ '

His past self, the one she knew from her world, had an aura of evil and power that radiated off of him when their paths crossed. The idea he convinced people to follow him through a threat of death becomes more prominent. As his numbers grew, the more people feared him and his power, or they blindly followed him as the crowds grew.

' _Some of those fighting for him may not agree with his_ _views, but they would rather follow now than die,_ ' Sakura thinks.

She is silent as she stares at Gaara, and her muteness even calms Gaara some, for he relaxes once again and sorts himself out from his abrupt shouts. He has a temper, she learns now. He may be quick to welcome it when someone upsets him, but around her, he does try to emanate a sense of control and power through his words and stance.

"They pushed me, Sakura," Gaara confesses.

The rosette's eyes widens once again and he stares out towards the ocean.

"If they had just handed over what I asked for this war would be over," he murmurs.

"They fight for their freedom that you may very well take if you were given power," Sakura counters.

Yet, to her words, Gaara merely shakes his head.

"No," he tells her. "There is something else. Something I wanted in the beginning more than the position I seek now."

It's his turn to tease her with mystery from his words. There is always more to the scenario, Sakura knows, and there is now a need in her to understand how her little friend became the man he is today. What he says is too good to resist, to pretend to not care, even if she is sure of what he is to say next.

"What?" she whispers, almost in a trance. "What was it you wanted?"

His smile spreads, growing bigger, and more malicious looking, until he shows her teeth and eyes of amusement. It is still a game he wishes to play with her.

"I will indulge you in everything you wish to know, Sakura," he murmurs. "But my answers will only come once you satisfy me with your own."

She needn't even ask what it is he seeks out. She knows he wants to know of her past fifteen years so to speak. Where she had gone, where and how she had hid, and probably most importantly to him…

Why.

Yet, it is far too soon for Sakura to give him any of that. Trust is only a sliver between them, and the truth would have Gaara questioning Sakura more now than ever.

"One day," she tells him instead. "One day, but not today."

Gaara only stares at her while her eyes face the ocean. She imagines anger to overtake him, but he surprises her with just the simplest nod of his head. Perhaps, there is more understanding of this situation in him than Sakura first believed. There may be some mental instability in him, a darkness that threatens to overtake mind and body, but he is just the genius now as he is in her own world. He is exactly…

' _Just like how he was_ _when he was_ _younger,_ ' Sakura thinks.

"I'll be waiting," he murmurs. "That day, I will present you with answers as well."

Sakura says nothing, even when Gaara's stare lingers and waits on her. Instead, her mind is elsewhere, thinking back on the trust she has to build. It becomes evident to Sakura that, unlike his younger self who backed away from her, Gaara now seeks the same thing in her once he moves his body to sit closer next to her.

"In the meantime, we shall entertain one another," he tells her as he moves his body.

"Entertain?" Sakura questions, eyes back on him.

She watches Gaara suck on his teeth while in thought.

"There is only so much this island can offer," he rephrases.

' _Ah,_ ' Sakura thinks, finally understanding. ' _It can get boring here._ '

Though Sakura hates to bring it up, she does question once again.

"Is there not a war you should be fighting? You sent Kankuro into battle when you could have easily gone with."

Gaara tilts his head and contemplates her words before speaking.

"True," he admits. "Were I out there, the fighting up north would be done and dealt with. I should be out there proving my place than leisurely sitting here."

As if his words strike some deeper insight into him, he scowls lightly before speaking more.

"For now, my place is here. Next to you."

Sakura looks up at him, curious.

"You missed me that much?" she asks.

Her question, innocent as it is, makes the redhead grimace and lower his head slightly, as if something irritable has just bit him.

"The fact that you even ask that tells me our feeling on this matter is not a shared one," he speaks with a light snarl.

Sakura widens her eyes and lifts her head.

"Are you saying I didn't miss you as well?"

Gaara is silent for the moment and stares distantly before he replies.

"Somewhere I imagined our feelings towards one another to be mutual..."

She has to admit that she can't hold a candle to the separation Gaara must feel compared to her. A minute for her was fifteen years for him, after all. Still, if she delves deep in her heart and searches for what she truly wishes to accomplish with the man next to her, she realizes what she misses most is his child self and in turn the friendship they once had. In her own way, she understands what he is feeling. Even if it feels like it is someone else, his child self to be exact, Sakura rebuttals his claim.

"Of course I missed you," she conveys.

Gaara simply continues to stare, silent.

"I miss..." Sakura begins, stretching her feet back down in front of her. "I miss being stuck in your room all day and breaking your toys."

Finally, she nabs Gaara's attention, and he looks back at her as she presses on.

"I miss your wake-up calls every morning. I miss the way you were always hungry, and I miss our visits to get kakigori."

Though she doesn't look up to see it, the smallest of smiles etch up Gaara's hard, cold face then.

"You seem to keep an unblemished mind," Gaara comments.

Sakura turns her eyes up towards Gaara, surprised by his warm and curious eyes. He even relaxes his shoulders and leans his head more one way, telling her he is comfortable with the situation now and their conversation. The reason behind his words is because these instances only occurred weeks prior for her compared to his many years. Yet, if she thinks hard on the moments they shared, she realizes no amount of years will ever have her forgetting the small boy and all they shared together.

"I treasure those memories," Sakura admits. "No way I'll ever forget.

A treasure she calls them, and it would make Gaara agree. In his mind, he wonders why she would forsake that so-called treasure, but bites his tongue so as not to speak it. She has already told him that she will tell him in time.

"Are you telling me you forgot those instances?" Sakura asks Gaara, mocking him slightly.

She's a little hurt that a definite no doesn't come from him right away. Instead, he hums in thought while turning his eyes away.

"It's hard to say," he tells her. "After all, how can I admit to remember it all when you may very well recount something I've long forgotten. I only remember what I remember. For me, it is everything, yet you may say otherwise."

Sakura grimaces, but agrees with what he says. He may hold on to a memory she has forgotten as well.

"Also," he adds, "For as long as I tried to keep those memories fresh, forced them to stay in the front of my mind, in time I eventually had to push those moments to the back of my head. I always kept them there but in time, reminiscing on the past of our moments, became too vexing. I strive everyday to pull myself farther and farther away from moments."

Sakura's eyes widen in surprise. As he sits here now with her, Sakura imagined Gaara to have kept her dear to his heart, now it feels as though he is conveying how much he wished for her to have been forgotten from his mind. As he looks at her, his eyes widen briefly for a moment, and the reasoning behind that must be the hurt in her look now, for he continues on.

"I gave myself a new purpose once you left me," he begins in almost a whisper. "to find you and hear your answers to my questions. Along that path, I hid from those who would return me to my father, ran from those who promised me what you had long ago, killed those who tried to stop me, learned secrets of the world from those who spoke to the shadows, and found myself in lands very few have set foot into..."

Sakura's eyes widen to what Gaara says now. Though vague, he gives her some eyesight to what happened within all those years.

"Then, just when I accept that my happiness ought not be stemmed entirely from you. Once I agreed with my mind that you had left me for the same reasons everyone else had..."

Gaara leans in closer to Sakura and a grin begins to spread across his face; his teeth making her lean back away from him as he continues to speak.

"Just when I work on a new purpose, too busy to delve my thoughts back on you, here you are now. Right by my side,  _again_."

There's amusement in his gaze once again as he looks down at Sakura.

"Now all those past memories are resurfacing. Moments I told myself not to care for, or find happiness through, is suddenly overwhelming me."

It's a dark feeling he now emits as she stares up at his emanating eyes, but Sakura still can't tear her gaze away. Just as the rosette feels at ease with this Gaara, he suddenly retracts this feeling through his own mental mind.

"I want to kill you, Sakura. I want to hurt you the same way you hurt me and also be rid of you once and for all. You hold many threats against me, some you may not even know about. Just as I'm accepting to let go of you, here you are now. Yet, because you are here now, because I have a chance now to never let you go again, because you are mystery before my very eyes, is why you live now. It's so exciting that the thought of hurting you almost pains me."

It's such a warped mind, Sakura thinks. She is even surprised by all he tells her now, an admittance that he wants to hurt her, yet, somewhere deep inside of her, she almost feels as if she knew this about him already.

' _Perhaps, just the same as when he was younger,'_  she thinks. ' _He probably would have taken the chance to kill_ _me had he chance. What stopped him was our..._ '

"Friendship," she can't help but whisper.

Her small word seems to awaken Gaara and his eyes widen before he draws closer towards Sakura, his gaze never breaking from her.

' _He may keep secrets from me,_ ' Sakura thinks. ' _Yet, he at least truthful in a sense._ '

Her heart races as she tries to collect her thoughts as Gaara's hand squeezes her own.

"What are you, Sakura?" he whispers, almost in trance. "A present for me or a trick?"

To that question, the way his gaze continues to pierce through her, Sakura retracts her hand from his. His words then remind her too much of another man. A man who could convey hate so well while hiding a deep love.

' _Rasa...'_  she thinks as she narrows her gaze towards Gaara.

"I am neither of those things," Sakura tells him instead. "I am Sakura. Your friend."

Gaara's stare is hard for a few moments as he takes in her words and appearance. He eventually nods lightly before sighing and retreating his hand and body away from her.

"Friend," he repeats, voice as soft as the wind.

His eyes drift with the waves for some time before he nods once more.

"Alright," he adds, almost as if he is agreeing with something else in his mind.

Sakura, meanwhile, stares at him, somewhat fascinated how quiet he can become as he indulges within himself to what she says. Maybe her declaration, her words to be what she once was to him, shakes something within him. In time, he turns to look back at her, face blank.

"I plan to fix it after I end this war, but for now my success is measured by the destruction around me. Yet, you want no part in it, you even say you will convince me all of this is  _my_  wrongdoing. You're against everything I do now, yet you want to be my friend still."

Sakura nods once, clarifying for him. Her motion makes him shake his head in disbelief as a sarcastic laugh breaks through his lips. Still, overall that, there's amusement in his eyes, and his words match the emotion in his gaze.

"Interesting," he tells her. "You're an interesting character, Sakura. I see now why Rasa kept you close."

Sakura's eyes widen upon hearing those words and her face must show her shock for Gaara's amused smirk returns as he crooks his neck.

"How did you-?" she begins before Gaara cuts her off.

"I'm not blind, Sakura. As a child, even I knew Rasa forced you upon me even if you said otherwise. Once I returned to Suna, despite pushing you away from my free thoughts, the opportunity to find out more about you came once I was back in Rasa's office. A false citizenship, no records of past missions, background or even a damn birth certificate. Not to mention, you had a means of stopping me that only Rasa possessed, yet you were nowhere to be found when Shukaku's chain broke the creature free. I was also an astute child. I understood what went on through the village despite my age and never had I come across someone with pink hair."

His smirk only grows as Sakura remains silent to his words.

"Right?" he ask, his brow bones lifting to his words.

"It's true," Sakura admits, her eyes turning towards the ocean. "I came across you in the desert and helped you to recover. In the process, your father had seen my way of countering your defense. So, he pressed me to be your caregiver. I was meant to stop you if you attacked. Yet..."

Sakura's thoughts trail as he recalls why Rasa truly kept her.

' _I wasn't only meant to protect people from Gaara, but more to protect Gaara from those Rasa was forced to send to kill his son. Still, that was a message_ _his_ _father could never convey to Gaara._ '

"Yet, we were like prisoners sharing a cell because of that man," Gaara adds, hoping he is finishing her sentence.

Sakura, however, shakes her head to Gaara's words.

"Nn," she murmurs. "I had every means in me to escape. That man's weak chains are not what kept me."

Sakura turns her smile towards Gaara, not surprised to see his face elicit some surprise as she speaks.

"I just wanted to show my little friend that there was so much love in him and for him."

Heartwarming, lifting words are only greeted by Gaara's hard frown before he adds.

"When one learns to love, he risks hate."

"Would you rather I had run then?" Sakura asks. "Would your world be a simpler one had I not become your friend?"

She can feel her eyebrow twitch as Gaara lifts his head some to contemplate her words.

"It's hard to say if-"

"No!" Sakura cuts him off with a shout. "What's wrong with you? Why is the concept of love so misinterpreted by you? Love is suppose to be a heartwarming feeling. It's suppose to convey that you feel as close as you possibly can to someone."

Sakura realizes then that this Gaara is the second man she has known her whole life who conveys love as almost a burden.

"Perhaps..." Gaara begins shortly after her. "Because of it it has caused me turmoil through the years. I know of love, Sakura. I know the feeling of being tied to another through the emotion. Because you are here now, I am ready to welcome it. Yet, it was because of love that I felt so anxious, so unrested, when I you disappeared. That constant question, of how you truly felt towards me swam through my mind morning through night."

Sakura opens her mouth to speak but Gaara cuts her off.

"Love may be a wonderful thing, I know, but it is an emotion I still wonder if just a fleeting one. I can speak it to you, convey your importance to me, and how wonderful you must feel to hear it. Yet, you keep your lips pursed when I ask if your feelings are the same. I don't ask you to say it if you truly don't feel that way, but certainly you understand the cruelty you inflict now sharing words with me you did when I was a child but refuse to say now."

Sakura's eyes widen to his words and shamefully she places her eyes away from his.

' _It's true,_ ' she thinks for she was in his shoes when it came to Sasuke and his muteness when Sakura claimed love for him.

"To share it only in one instance as a child, before you ran, to never hear that sentence again, from anyone, do you realize now why I say when one loves he risks hate? Love, has been more unkind to me than its meaning. Were you not here now, reminiscing in me old fleeting feelings, I would rather hate than love."

Sakura lifts her head quick then and this time pushes her face closer to Gaara as a sadness sweeps over her face.

"I-I'm-That!" she quickly speaks. "That wasn't my intention. I didn't mean to leave you questioning love, I meant to leave you with people who would continue to-"

Sakura stops when Gaara raises a hand to her.

"No more," he tells her suddenly. "This is a discussion I wish not to continue."

"But!" Sakura counters, her face morphing to distress. "I wanted you to know love. I want you to love! I want it to be a beautiful thing to you like it is for me I-"

"Stop!" Gaara cries.

Sakura blinks, suddenly aware of their stance. She practically towers over him as he leans away from her, and his face gives off a feature she has not seen since his childhood.

' _He's scared..._ ' she thinks.

Gaara, meanwhile, shakes his head while he quakes lightly.

"No more," he whispers. "I don't want to see you making that face again."

' _My face?_ ' Sakura thinks, trying to understand what it could have been that she may have possibly shown him.

Nonetheless, Sakura does as he asks. To push him now would cause Gaara to simply bounce back and never agree with what she says. Love takes time, and she is certain Gaara will learn it once more. So, she swallows the lump in her throat and sits silently for a moment.

' _Such a sad existence,_ ' Sakura thinks. ' _Hate for him is much easier to accept than love._ '

Sakura grimaces, but does not notice how Gaara watches her face contort through many emotions. Some he cannot place a name on. In his own mind are swimming thoughts and questions, and even if it is a question he'd like an answer to, he speaks more so now to end Sakura's troubling thoughts. Though he would deny, there is a faintest need in him for them to continue their conversation. To sit and relax and chat, he can recall no such time doing so then years ago.

"Sakura, are you from Konoha?"

Sakura's eyes widen and her head whips fast towards Gaara. Her reaction must be an answer for his grin begins to grow as he looks down at her.

"I thought so," he even speaks before she.

"No!" Sakura retorts before fumbling with her words. "I traveled with my family around the world. My ties are with no village."

Lies she spread when first meeting Rasa, and like his father, Gaara gives her the impression that he can see right through her lie.

"Ho?" he hums for a moment. "Interesting. You know, just because the rebels group there doesn't mean I hold anything against the village. I think it's a beautiful village."

Sakura only narrows her eyes as Gaara's continues on, reminiscing.

"I'm sure its beauty stems more from our time together there. Just you and me, no one to stand between us. I remember wishing we could just stay there forever."

"It's in crumbles now because of you," Sakura snaps back.

Gaara only tilts his head to this information, humming once again.

"It will grow again, I'll make sure of it. It will flourish again just like the rest of this world once the war is over."

Gaara tilts his eyes up; thinking before a grin spreads on him again.

"You know, I have a decent amount of men from Konoha who follow me now."

His declaration makes Sakura's eyes round and her look only makes Gaara's smile grow.

"Shall I bring them here? Perhaps old friends of yours. You all can reminiscence once again, or maybe they can convince you that I pave the way to a better future."

Sakura only stays silent, yet in her mind, she can't help herself but place familiar faces in Gaara's army.

' _Who would defect?_ ' she thinks.

With her thoughts nabbing her attention, she doesn't realize that Gaara draws closer to her until he presses his face close to hers, noses almost grazing. As she stares at his teal orbs his smile turns malice.

"If you want," he whispers, leaning his shoulder against hers. "I can give them to you. Take revenge on them for betraying your village, for killing your friends back home. I'll give you their lives, Sakura."

Sakura attempts a hard slap at Gaara, but stops her hand the moment sand shields his face. His eyes drift toward her lifted palm before his smile settles back to a frown and he pulls his face away from Sakura.

"Bastard," Sakura seethes. "How could you even call yourself a leader when you easily dispose of your men?!"

Gaara simply shuts his eyes and straightens his back as he takes in Sakura's words.

"Come now," he comments. "I only jest. Yet, it's interesting how passionate you've become when it comes to those from Konoha."

"I'm not from Konoha," Sakura hisses.

Gaara takes a moment to look at Sakura; studying her almost before he begins lightly tapping the middle of his forehead and speaking.

"Though, you do look familiar to someone."

Sakura swallows hard.

' _Tsunade-sama,_ ' she thinks, wondering where her role in the world is now.

"I suppose it matters not where you're from, Sakura," Gaara finishes. "Though I hope, one day, your secrets become mine and mine yours."

Sakura decides not to backtrack into the conversation. The less she speaks of Konoha, the better. Yet, she does take Gaara's words into consideration.

"Everyone has to keep their secrets," she tells him. "Those that don't are old married couples."

Sakura can't help herself but chortle lightly at her own words, wondering if even they keep their secrets. What doesn't phase her, is the way Gaara stares at her now, with even the faintest of smiles now.

"Married, huh?" he whispers, before settling himself more comfortably in the sand; his eyes on Sakura entirely. "Sakura, how old are you now?"

Her snickers quickly die and Sakura lifts her eyes to recall the time that has passed.

' _I'm the same,_ ' she thinks. ' _Twenty, but I guess..._ '

"Somewhere in your thirties, correct?" Gaara speaks. "There's nothing to be ashamed about."

Sakura realizes Gaara his mistakes her muteness for self-consciousness.

"Aa," Sakura murmurs, grimacing once more towards the ocean.

She jumps lightly, not from pain but from surprise, when she feels the faintest pinch on her cheek. Quickly, she looks back at Gaara who holds amusement once again in his eyes.

"Ah?" he murmurs. "So, it isn't a jutsu. You've aged well, Sakura."

Sakura only continues to grimace; trying to hold back the anger that is beginning to rise within her.

' _Thirties my ass,_ ' she thinks. ' _I'm barely twenty!_ '

Yet, her lips remain purse.

"I am twenty-one now," Gaara adds, nodding towards Sakura.

Sakura nods back, but realizes Gaara waits on her to speak more as he keeps his eyes steady on her.

"Um, congratulations…?" Sakura murmurs, unsure what the man seeks of her now.

She is surprised to see his face soften a bit; even smiling lightly while finding humor.

"Ha," he even manages out, dragging the vowel. "You're an interesting character, Sakura."

"What?" she drawls, not understanding what message he is trying to send her.

Gaara, though, ponders for a moment before shaking his head and turning away from her.

"I am simply pointing out that I am no longer a child. I've accomplished much over these fifteen years."

He looks at her with a small smile but is disappointed to see her hard frown settled on the ground instead.

"I know that you're no longer a child," she whispers, hugging her legs tight.

In her mind, is her inner thoughts.

' _I know that very well,_ ' she thinks. ' _There is a child I will never see again._ '

It is a painful thought for her, it has been these past days. Yet, what surprises her most today is Gaara pointing out her inner thoughts.

"There is nothing I can do to fix that ache in your heart, Sakura," he tells her. "Perhaps, if this will ease your mind some, as adults we can become even closer to each other than when I was younger."

Doubt sits heavy like a stone in her mind to that comment but she does agree that trying is key. Always that chance, always time to convince him to stop all his fighting. So, she brings forth a smile in his direction.

"Best friends, just like when we were younger," she adds.

Gaara nods, though his mindset is in the same direction as hers, there's another option he is beginning to paint in his mind.

"I believe we can achieve some sort of deeper connection, in time."

Sakura's eyes narrow, his words confusing her slightly. No doubt there a deep friendship even she is striving towards, but the way Gaara keeps emphasizing on connections leaves her puzzled.

' _What more does he want from me?_ ' she wonders.

A low rumble echoes along the shoreline and its power draws both Sakura and Gaara's attention. They each turn their gaze to stare at the tall mountain.

"What is happening?" Sakura whispers.

Despite her quietness, a certain individual is keen to her words.

"A riot," Gaara tells her, eyes still set on the mountain.

A scowl forms on his face the moment Sakura looks at him and she recalls Temari saying the same.

' _Temari!_ ' Sakura quickly thinks.

"Please," Sakura begins, earning back Gaara's gaze. "I asked Temari to leave me behind and find out what is happening in the mountain. Please, don't harm her in anyway for leaving me on my own. I had told her my intention was not to get off this island."

Sakura is forced to beg, but given the circumstances, the person's life she begs for, Temari's life is one Sakura would bow down to the lowest of people if they would just spare her. Gaara, despite him being her sibling, is no different for Sakura.

Gaara just crooks his neck; his smile spreading once more. Sakura places herself in a position now that the redhead is all too familiar with. Whether it is lives, villages, material wealth, all of it he has seen many times with people groveling at his feet for. They are willing to give so much of themselves that the idea Sakura does this now excites him and makes his smile grow bigger and sinister.

' _What will you give me in return?_ ' he thinks of the words he is about to spill out to Sakura.

A big part of him wants to watch her sink into an ocean of corruption he can throw her in. Sink or swim, he will tell her and whilst reminding her that there is another life she carries on her back. She has to swim, has to please him before he will offer his hand for her out of the heavy waters, and even then he will ask for more; gratitude will have to come next.

Yet, as Sakura's emerald gaze lingers longer on his own teal eyes, something within him, something very small, calls out to him. Reminding him that this is Sakura, the real one, and that he owes this woman so much more than his corrupted thoughts. She had offered her hand many times to his younger self in return for nothing, and in a sense, it is a fraction of what he can offer her now. Begging, pleading, doing as he asks, he begins to realize is not what he wants from the rosette. She is different than the rest of the world.

"If that is what you want, Sakura. Consider it done," Gaara merely says before narrow eyes return to the ocean. "It is twice you've saved that woman. I would advise you to remind her of that."

Sakura merely shakes her head.

"Her life is not in my hands, nor should they be in yours. She should be free to do as she pleases," Sakura comments, making the redhead sneer.

"This is war and I am her leader," Gaara reminds Sakura.

"She is her own person. You have no right to decide when she lives or dies. She is your family," Sakura reminds Gaara.

Sakura is surprised to see Gaara lean back as he chuckles; teeth showing off.

"You are one interesting character, Sakura," is all he says. "It should irk me that you don't recall what I've told you of family, but I merely find it amusing. You're so..."

Gaara's mouth stops for a moment and he stares out into the ocean while in deep thought. Eventually, his neck slowly cranes to face the rosette and Sakura frowns when she spots amusement in a dark sneer Gaara suddenly gives her. It tells her he is unsure how to feel about what he is about to label her.

"Defiant," he mouths, with the slightest bite to his lip.

For a leader, the word itself is taboo. Things are meant to be accordingly, people are suppose to follow order, defiance is treated with backlash and consequence. Defiance can also lead to ones death. It's no wonder he sneers as he tells Sakura this. For him, it has been his way for many years. Fear and power has put him in a position where disobedience only comes from the enemies he calls rebels and no one else.

Yet now, Sakura can somewhat understand where that amusement stems from. Change is happening before him. She sits here now next to him in peace, something he probably hasn't experienced for quite some time. Still, aside from the rebels, she is another who goes against his words, who tells him he is in the wrong, and someone who is trying to change him. In a sense, it's almost an unhealthy relationship given he finds some slight enjoyment in her opposition. Then again, he had said entertainment was scarce here, perhaps it is a feeling that will flee in time. Still, Sakura can't stop herself from saying some peace then.

"I'm in a position to believe you'd not have me any other way."

She realizes her assumption of him is correct, for a grin spreads once again as his eyes shake in anticipation.

"Change is good," is what he first tells her. "Plus, victory will taste so much sweeter once I see you crack. I can't imagine the euphoria I will feel once delicious defiance turns into obedience."

Sakura merely shakes her head; turning her eyes away from Gaara. The topic of this conversation feels almost too personal and it makes her just slightly uncomfortable.

"You forget who I am," Sakura mutters. "I went up against the Kazekage and paraded you around the village while we held hands. Despite the warnings, the looks, and the threats, I defied everyone who told me to just give up on you, or to hide you from plain sight."

Along with stubborn, Sakura realizes that defiant is another of her middle names. Her eyes fall back to the ocean, watching the tide begin to slowly retreat while Gaara watches her in silent anxiousness. His hard frown has returned, but he watches the rosette with past memories of their time in the village. It may have taken awhile, but he analyzes all those happy trips they took together. He opens his mouth, to tell her that cherished moments like that can be renewed. Far better things can come, he wants to say, but is stopped when Sakura turns her gaze back to his and asks a question of her own.

"Shouldn't you be there?" Sakura asks, nodding her head behind her and towards the mountain. "Shouldn't you be helping with whatever is going on?"

Gaara swallows his past words before bringing forth new ones.

"My men have it under control," he states. "Do not worry."

Sakura grimaces.

"It's not that I'm worried," she says. "Just curious. You take it so leisurely, but a fight may be happening and your men overtaken."

Gaara, again, just shakes his head as he stares back at the ocean.

"The prisoners in there are not warriors of any kind. They know of no combat."

Sakura's heart fall upon hearing that, and she suddenly understands why the prisoners were so quiet within their cages. They learned of no means to escape.

"Prisoners who can fight…?" Sakura's vague question is easily understood by Gaara.

"Killed," he states with no emotion. "Though it is from their choice. Those who don't join me-"

"-are murdered," Sakura finishes with disgust laced around her words.

Gaara nods, and Sakura realizes then that she should be aware of such. War always holds these sort of consequences, and it is why villages seldom call out for it.

"Then, what are these prisoners held for?" Sakura asks, curiosity holding onto her.

Gaara sighs, as if the conversation bores him. He even lifts his eyes towards the sky before speaking.

"Most are just kept in there. Some are put into work, some are used in trade to the rebels. A man for a man. Some..."

Sakura turns her head towards Gaara once he stops his sentence. His gaze is set hard towards the sky, and he narrows his eyes.

"Some…?" Sakura tries to usher him along.

Gaara's eyes return to Sakura's and in that brief moment Sakura swears she can see an emotion Gaara is trying to keep down. Something she had seen in his childhood, but not expected to see right now; Guilt. However, as quick as it flashes, it disappears and he is able to finish his sentence.

"Concubines," he adds. "For the men here."

Sakura sneers and she is quick to tell him her feelings.

"You're sick."

Gaara, surprisingly, smirks at Sakura and leans his hands behind him.

"Bite your tongue now than later," he tells Sakura with a smile still. "just because they are used in that sense does not mean I indulge in such acts with prisoners."

"You're still sick for allowing it," Sakura comments. "Those sort of acts are done by the lowest of low!

Gaara's smirk only grows.

"Ho?" he hums lightly. "Shall I punish those who do those acts then?"

Sakura's eyes narrow to Gaara's attitude, yet before she can answer, Gaara licks his lips before his eyes widen and he grins as he speaks.

"Shall I off Temari now? Her life you strive to keep alive but she is the guiltiest of them all!"

Sakura knows Gaara's sudden excitement stems from the anticipation on waiting on her reaction. She does not deny that hearing Temari does such a thing rocks her heart, but she does her best to keep her appearance calm so as to not let Gaara feed off from her shock. Instead, she merely shakes her head as thoughts come to mind.

' _Maybe it's something more,_ ' Sakura thinks. ' _Maybe Temari has a connection to someone in there. Maybe that's why she rushed to stop that riot..._ '

Sakura simply narrows her eyes towards Gaara.

"Don't you dare hurt anyone else," is what she tells Gaara.

Gaara looks almost taken aback by Sakura's answer and the rosette sighs and shakes her head.

"This is terrible," she finally admits. "Sitting here with you, and learning more about you. What you've become, what you do, how the world is now… I was hoping to see some sort of understanding of why today is what it is. I was hoping to understand you better, to possibly become your friend once again. To rebuild our relation."

Unbeknownst to her, Gaara's heart races as Sakura pours out more of her feelings. Yet, as the rosette shakes her head in disappointment, does a small panic begin to brew within Gaara. A feeling he forsook and curses upon it's return today.

' _Sakura..._ ' he hisses in his mind, but listens to her words still.

"It just feels so pointless now and so hopeless. You've become someone I cannot understand nor do I wish to."

Gaara is still silent, but his heart races more once Sakura stands herself tall and stares out towards the ocean.

"I loved you, once. Never would I have let go that night all those years ago knowing it was going to be the last night I get to hold you in my arms. I went on thinking we would have many more days of laughter, of joy, and of peace. Instead, here I am now. Wishing things to be different..."

Sakura shuts her eyes then and tries to focus back on the little boy.

"Wishing I could just go back..."

Gaara's eyes widen then, for an understanding finally surfaces within him. An understanding of Sakura's pain. Once, he had told himself how he wished he could go back. As soon as his mind convinced him that there was no way, he set forth down a path that led to this future. It took time, but he accepted how things were now and chased after what it was his heart sought. Sakura, he realizes now, still holds on like he once did.

' _This is how she will learn,_ ' something dark in his mind echoes. ' _Accepting pain now will teach her what direction she needs to take next. To let go of the past..._ '

Yet, something else grips his heart tight, and panic is still settled in his stomach as he stares up at Sakura's blank face. If only their roles could have been reversed long ago, he thinks. If only, during his troubled times, had she appeared and told him to hold on and not let go of their past. Seeing Sakura now, doing exactly what he had to do all those years ago, makes his heart quake and his thoughts are tuned out.

It will be an act he will regret later, but if it means keeping her now. A chance to earn back her smile, her acceptance, her  _love_ , he will say what he wishes he could have heard from Sakura years ago.

"Stay with me," he whispers to her.

Sakura's eyes widen to his small plea and as she turns her head to look down at Gaara, she is shocked at his flushed skin and worried eyes. Inside of her, her heart races, for it is the same eyes the child would give her. A gaze she was probably going to receive once she told him she had to leave him forever.

"I don't want you to leave me again," Gaara's voice grows. "Hate me if you must. Keep your disobedience and attempts of changing me. Despise what I do, but do not forsake me once more."

She shuts her eyes as her face tightens and lips quiver. She knows he is learning to manipulate her, she knows her love is too strong to depart now, and for that reason she knows she can't leave yet. Not when he shares these rare moments of understanding, and above that, not when she still feels in her heart that she can change him. Worst yet, he still puts blame on her for her disappearance.

"Damn you," is all she musters now.

Yet, it is enough to make Gaara smile, and slowly he rises to his own feet. Her admittance now, that she cannot leave him behind, swells his pride and ego. He is darkness, manipulation, and views their interactions more as a game then his genuine feelings try to convey. Even if there was a moment of worry inside of him from her turning her back once again to him it is forgotten, or mistaken as his plan, as he strides towards Sakura with the knowledge that he can sway her.

In time, he hopes that small sway will put her in a place Gaara sees fit. For now, he is still unsure what place he wants her in. By his side, he can definitely agree on, but as what, he still plays in his mind.

Right now, as he strolls towards her, excited to see her crack slightly under his words; the thought that he is older and with a wise mindset likes hers now, plays more in his mind than him simply viewing her as his old nanny. It is convincing enough to make him boldly step behind her and wrap one hand into hers, as soon as his fingers tangle with her own, he presses himself closer to her frame; trying to mold her body into his.

Sakura instantly stiffens and pulls away from the redhead and his close body. She breaks the contact of their hands and instead hits him with startled, and questioning, eyes. His small, sly smirk grows as he spots her uncertainty.

"What are you doing?" she whispers.

Gaara simply shuts his eyes and takes a step closer towards Sakura. His smile grows when she steps away from his approach.

"Sakura, I'm no longer a child."

Her heart falls then, along with her eyes does her jaw open wide, and the assumptions she thought were too bizarre to even fathom finally come forth. It's as if her realization is known by the redhead as well, for his smile falls to a frown looking down at the rosette and he inches his way closer towards her to narrow the gap between them.

"I always held on to your lessons. Your teachings that you were only my friend, and nothing else."

"Right," Sakura quickly agrees, eyes warning him to watch his next words. "We were friends, nothing more."

Her words make Gaara's grin reappear, and he widens his eyes so as to mock her.

"Friendships can grow," he whispers, beginning to reach for the rosette. "They can blossom to a closeness that-"

"Stop," Sakura firmly speaks, cutting him off.

As he falls silent she takes a step away from him.

' _His view on me..._ ' she thinks, unsure whether Gaara is genuine or mocking her now. ' _It's changing._ '

Time apart will do that, she realizes. A boy with an unsteady heart and mind would begin to question their relationships in the past. The only love he claims to have gotten, and it makes Sakura wonder if he is beginning to view her romantically.

' _He couldn't,_ ' she at first thinks. ' _He can't! He clearly holds no sympathy or love. He-!_ "

He reaches for her once more and her shock allows him to wrap a hand into hers again.

' _He is very confused!_ ' Sakura realizes.

A past love. Did this occurrence just suddenly happen within him, or did he morph her into a romantic partner years ago, Sakura wonders.

"You're the only one who truly cares for me," he whispers, pulling her closer towards him.

' _He doesn't understand our relationship,_ ' Sakura thinks. ' _He's morphed genuine kindness as romance. He's-!_ '

Sakura can't even bring her thoughts to match with his and quickly she pulls away once more, but not before realizing that he had pulled her in to a gentle embrace. She just shakes her head when his lazy eyes meet with hers.

"No," she tells him. "That is not a relationship I will have with you."

Her heart sinks more when she is only met with his cruel looking smile.

"I'd expect nothing less from you Sakura," he tells her. "For you, I want the challenge."

If it weren't for his sand Sakura would raise a hand to his face for that comment, instead she sneers in disgust.

"This isn't a game, Gaara!" she cries out. "You're talking about deep emotions and connections. You're talking about actual love! Something I'm still unsure you have in you."

She watches him, as if he is in a daze, reach for her pink locks. She allows him to slide his fingers through them but keeps her angry eyes settled on him still.

"Let me show you, Sakura," he tells her. "I can show you the love I had for you. I can show you the love I have for you now, and I can let it grow. I can give you whatever it is you want. I can make a world for just you and me."

Sakura's eyes widen to his claims and steps herself farther away from Gaara's dream-like state and venturing hands.

"Don't," she says while shaking her head, and looks at him with almost a desperate plea in her face. "Don't ruin what we had. Don't turn it into something weird."

"Wasn't it always?!" he grins mad.

He advances and Sakura turns and sets her sights on running far. Yet, the man who drives her away surprisingly speaks to keep her there.

"Wait," he tells her. "Don't."

Looking back at him, Sakura watches as Gaara shuts his eyes and draws in a deep breath. Once his eyes open, the dream disappears, and his hard eyes and frown are set on Sakura.

"Do not run," he tells her.

Sakura swallows hard, but as Gaara looks to have regained composure she keeps her feet set. Still, she can't help but ask him.

"Why?"

He answers her, and to hear the familiar phrase come from Gaara makes her knees shake and her entire mind fill with dread.

"If you run," he begins to warn her, smile growing as if the thought alone excites him, "I will chase you."

He draws closer and offers Sakura a hand to help her retract her steps towards him before speaking again.

"...and I will catch you, little blossom."


End file.
